Sweet and Naive
by pinkrose064
Summary: After being forced to kill Izumi, Itachi was determined to never fall in love again. But what will happen when he meets a kind girl who runs a tea shop in Howling Wolf Village, with a past similar to his own? ItachixOC Part of the Uchiha Clan series
1. A Girl Named Amai

A young woman stood outside of her shop, sweeping the front, when she became aware of a stranger entering her peripheral vision. A man wearing a black cloak with red clouds and a jingisa. Definitely not a member of her village. How strange. It was very rare that outsiders would come here. More accurately, it was strange that they would come to this street, which wasn't basically overflowing with medicine shops and stands like everywhere else. Seeing that nobody else in the area was overly willing to approach him, she walked over to the man.

"Good afternoon." She greeted politely as she approached him, "My name is Amai. May I ask what brings you to this place?"

The man turned to acknowledge her, and Amai quickly realized two things: One, this stranger was only a teenager, about her own age, and two, he was blind, or at least, did not have the greatest vision.

"I've come here to obtain some Kotarō." The man replied, "Can you tell me how to reach the shop where it is sold?"

The young woman frowned slightly and looked thoughtful. It wasn't that she was unwilling to help, but... how does one give directions to a blind man? She finally sighed and simply said, "Follow me." Before turning and walking ahead of the man, who quickly followed her. "If you've come to obtain Kotarō, then you're lucky that I was the one who greeted you first. A member of the Sendō clan would've gladly sold you a counterfeit that is very addictive and dangerous. There's only one place in town that you can buy the real thing, but... most of the people want nothing to do with them."

"I take it you don't mind though?" The stranger asked. Amai shook her head.

"It's believed that their father was responsible for a tragedy that happened a few years ago, but... even if that is the case... children shouldn't be judged for the actions of their parents. In my experience, the Kodon brothers are far more trustworthy than anyone from the Sendō Clan. Yet, despite their illegal activities being public knowledge, you don't see the village ostracizing _them_. At least, I should think that its public knowledge. They don't really behave in too covert of a manner. But then again..." She shook her head, "Never mind. I'm rattling on about things that you probably aren't interested in."

"Judging by your words, I presume you hold the opposite opinion. You despise the Sendō Clan, but are fond of the Kodon brothers."

"I wouldn't say 'fond' is the right word. I respect them, yes, but it's not as if we know each other well." Amai replied before opening the door to a small shop called Rengyōdō and knocking on the doorframe. "Reishi-kun, Kina-chan, you have a customer."

There were two boys in the shop. It was the older of the two who addressed Amai first. "Amai-neesan. It's rare that you come here."

"I was just showing this man the way." Amai said as she stepped aside to let the stranger in.

The older boy walked forward, the younger one following at his heels, "Welcome. I'm Reishi. What brings you to our shop?"

"...My name is Itachi." The stranger began slowly, "My... physician... recommended that I come here to obtain this." He held out a piece of paper to Reishi, who accepted it, then sucked in his breath when he read it.

"Coarse Kotarō, to be compounded for use as eye drops..." Reishi looked up at Itachi, "...Are you sure? Coarse Kotarō can have some severe side effects. Used in this manner... it may cause temporary blindness."

"That's really not a problem, because I am going blind anyway." Itachi said with a shrug, "But he said that the Kotarō would reduce the strain placed on my body by the pain in my eyes, which should help me to live longer."

"I see." Reishi said, "All right then. But it will take several days to make."

"That's fine. I can wait." Itachi said before glancing down the road, squinting his eyes in attempt to get a better look at a building nearby. "Is that building occupied?"

"That's Kodon Shrine." Kina, Reishi's younger brother told him, "It's abandoned."

"I'll stay there until the Kotarō is ready then." Itachi replied.

"All right." Reishi said with a nod, "We'll get started then."

Itachi nodded and left the shop with Amai, both turning to go their separate ways, but then Amai stopped and looked over her shoulder at Itachi, "By the way, I run a tea house near where we met. You're welcome to come by any time."

Itachi nodded, which Amai took as a confirmation that he had heard her more than anything, and they both went on their way.

甘い

The following afternoon, Amai was cleaning a table in her shop when she noticed somebody entering the doorway. "Oh! Itachi-san! Welcome! Please, come in." Itachi nodded and walked in silently before sitting down at a table as Amai approached him, "What will it be? Um... I don't mean to patronize you in any way or something, but... do you need me to read the menu to you, or...?"

"Perhaps another time." Itachi told her, "For today, I'll just have some green tea and botchan dango."

"Coming right up."

Amai was a bit surprised when, as she turned to retrieve his food, Itachi spoke again, "I never told you that my vision was poor, but you seemed to pick up on it right away."

She stopped in her tracks, startled by his statement, before turning back toward him slightly, "I could tell by your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. When I first approached you after you entered the village, I could see that your eyes were straining to focus. A person's pupils only constrict like that for two reasons. The first is if they are blinded by a bright light. The second is if it is difficult for them to see. Since there weren't any particularly bright lights and your hat shields your eyes from the sun, I realized it had to be the latter."

"Very few people are so observant."

Amai shrugged, "I guess I'm just different. At any rate, have you learned Braille by any chance? If so, I'll try to prepare a Braille menu. That is, if you think you'll come here often."

"I probably will." Itachi said thoughtfully, "My hobby is visiting tea houses like this one to try the sweets they serve. I planned on coming by here every day that I'm in this village. I normally have a traveling companion, so I've never learned Braille, but perhaps I'll take the time to do so."

"I think it would be good to do so." Amai said politely, "While your ability to navigate the world without sight is certainly impressive, there are times when you will find yourself dependent upon others unless you learn it. Do you want sugar with your tea?"

"Yes, thank you."

Amai returned to Itachi's table a moment later and set the tea cup down, along with a tray of dango and a small pot. "You didn't mention whether you wanted adzuki paste with your dango, so I put some on the side, just in case."

"You don't seem to find my taste for sweets to be strange." Itachi commented mildly.

"Why would I?" Amai asked, "A person's appearance and personality have nothing to do with their tastes in food. I don't bother with trying to form preconceptions about my customers. It's not good to judge somebody by your perceptions of them after all." The young woman failed to notice Itachi glancing up at her in slight surprise from beneath his hat.

甘い

"What can you tell me about the girl who runs the tea shop? The one who led me here yesterday?" Itachi asked Reishi and Kina as he dined with them that night at their invitation.

"Amai-neesan?" Reishi asked, frowning in thought. "Her family died about two years ago, she's been on her own since then. She's a kind, sweet girl, and a lot of the people in the village like her, but... She doesn't have anybody to take care of her or look after her..."

"She's always nice to me!" Kina piped up, "She gives me sweets whenever I pass by her store!"

"Is that so?" Itachi said, his eyes looking a bit thoughtful, "What happened to her family?"

"I don't think it's our place to tell you. It's something you should hear from her yourself, if she wishes to tell you." Reishi replied.

甘い

The following day, Itachi once again sat in Amai's shop, this time having a slice of cinnamon log cake with his tea, when a rather rowdy group came in, causing him to glance up in slight annoyance.

"Oh!" Amai exclaimed, hurrying over to welcome the group and bowing to the man in the front, "Welcome, Lord Jiryuu! Please have a seat! I'll take your party's order whenever you wish."

The man nodded to Amai and sat down with his companions. One of them cast a mocking grin at Amai as he sat down, "Why don't you bring us some sake, Amai-chan?"

Amai scrunched up her nose in annoyance, "You know very well that I don't carry sake here. What is the point in serving something I am not old enough to drink?"

The man sighed, "A downer as always. You really should serve it. You'd get more customers if you did, and then you could pay off your debt faster."

"I'd prefer taking longer to pay it to the type of customers serving sake would attract." Amai answered with forced politeness. Itachi narrowed his eyes. Amai owed money to these men? That would explain her evident fear of them, as well as why she was putting up with such a crude group of men to begin with. She seemed like the type who normally would not hesitate to throw out customers who were rude. "I'll begin preparing your tea."

"Just bring us botchan dango, all around, Amai." The man she had called Jiryuu called, "That always goes well with tea."

"Yes sir."

It so happened that Itachi was sitting in a spot where the men couldn't quite see him, so he observed the scene with his ears rather than his eyes, quickly picking up on the slight trembling of Amai's hands. There was also something in her voice. Whereas she was always addressing him warmly and anticipating his needs, she seemed somewhat cold and distant toward these men. Thus far, her entire reception of them had been near ice cold professionalism. That said, with the way they practically demanded her constant attention, combined with her apparent fear regarding them, Amai was forced to practically ignore Itachi. He was fairly certain he could've simply slipped out of the store without her taking notice, but he didn't. Something compelled him to stay.

"By the way, Amai," Jiryuu began as he sipped his tea, "Gohii said that he saw you greeting a stranger who walked into town a couple days ago, and that you took him to Rengyōdō."

Amai sucked in a breath, something Itachi took as a sign of apprehension, before she answered, "Yes, that's right. The man you're speaking of came to town to buy Kotarō."

"You should've brought him to us then." Jiryuu said coldly.

"Forgive me sir, but he came here to buy actual medicine, not mere sengenzai." Amai answered nervously.

"Idiot!" Jiryuu exclaimed while slamming his hand on the table, before standing up and grabbing hold of Amai's wrist, "Did it not occur to you that bringing us a new customer would be a means to lower your debt?!"

"Lord Jiryuu, please! I could never be so selfish as to trick a sick man into taking sengenzai!" Amai's voice has gone from nervous to terrified. What had these men done in the past to make her so afraid of them?

Jiryuu snorted, "Sweet and naive as always. You truly live up to your name, Amai. But do you think I'll let you get away with taking business that could've been ours to those Kodon brats?! You should learn to think of yourself before others!"

Amai whimpered and braced herself, unsure what Jiryuu intended to do, but before he had a chance to attempt anything, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. With startling ease, Itachi forced the man to release his grip on Amai before moving in between them.

"Itachi-san!" Amai gasped in surprise.

"Y-You..." Jiryuu managed as he glared at Itachi. Itachi glared back. He had known who this man was right from the start: Sendō Jiryuu, the head of the Sendō Clan, which trafficked an incomplete version of Kotarō throughout Howling Wolf Village. The counterfeit drug had been outlawed because it was dangerous and addictive. The night before, he had ended up protecting Rengyōdō and the Kodon brothers from this man and the thugs in his clan.

"Even if she owes you money," Itachi began evenly, "That doesn't give you the right to lay a hand on her."

Jiryuu's glare hardened as he wrenched his arm from Itachi's grasp, "Oh really?! Guess again! This girl's parents owed my clan a ton of money before they died! Until she pays that off, that girl belongs to me!"

"No, she doesn't." Itachi said without moving from between Amai and Jiryuu, "She may have to give you her earnings, but her life is still her own. Last I checked, slavery is just as illegal as drug trafficking. I suggest you remember that." Itachi was, of course, keenly aware that he of all people should not speak about what was legal and what was not, but something within him was unable to stand by and allow this man to harm an innocent young woman.

Jiryuu gritted his teeth, then turned and stormed out of the cafe, his clansmen quickly following them. Itachi turned to Amai, who had fallen to her knees in terror, and knelt down beside her. "Are you all right?"

"Y-Yes... thank you..." Amai managed before looking up at Itachi, "Remember when I said that my relationship with Reishi and Kina was not quite one of fondness? Lord Jiryuu is the reason why. The truth is, I'm actually very fond of those two, but my... situation... prevents me from really being friends with them."

"I see..." Itachi replied. So that was what Reishi had meant when he said that Amai had nobody to take care of her or watch out for her. He was referring to the debt that she owed the Sendō Clan.

Amai looked down, a light blush coloring her cheeks, which made her momentarily grateful that Itachi could not see very well. "Thank you, Itachi-san... nobody else in town would've dared to stand up to Sendō Jiryuu the way that you did. The eighty-eight torii gates that line the path to our village symbolize that we don't operate in the same way the world does... but sometimes, I can't help but think that that isn't really a good thing."

甘い

As he had said, Itachi went to the tea shop every afternoon, until the day his medicine was ready. The eye drops he had received were supposed to last him at least six months, so he guessed he wouldn't be back for some time. However, a month later, he found his plans changing a bit.

"Where are we at the moment, Kisame?" Itachi asked as he walked beside his partner following their last mission. The shark man had only become his partner shortly after he'd returned from Howling Wolf Village, but they had already become fairly used to each other. Because of his impaired vision, Itachi usually just followed Kisame from one destination to the next.

"Let's see..." Kisame said as he pulled out a map and looked at it, knowing what Itachi was really wanting to know without him saying it, "We're not too far from the Howling Wolf Village. The nearest tea house is probably there."

"Yes, there is one there." Itachi confirmed.

"Oh? You've been there before?" Kisame asked with interest.

"Last month, just before I met you, I went there to obtain some medicine for my eyes, which took a week for the pharmacist to prepare. I ate at the tea house during the afternoons."

Kisame was used to Itachi's hobby by now, so he shrugged, "All right. We don't have a new mission yet, so let's go there."

The instant they passed through the door, Amai looked up from the table she was clearing. "Welcome—Oh! Itachi-san! I didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"I was in the area, so I thought I'd come by." Itachi said plainly.

"Itachi-san likes to eat at places like this as often as possible." Kisame said with mild amusement.

Amai blinked, "Who is this? Your associate?"

"Yeah." Itachi replied as he sat down, and Amai handed a menu to each of them.

"This is the Braille menu I promised you." She told the Uchiha.

"Yeah, thanks."

Despite his usually observant personality, the teenager failed to notice that Kisame seemed more interested in watching the two of them than in reading the menu.

"Looks like that was a large crowd that just left." The former Kirinin remarked as he took note of the large number of dishes Amai had returned to clearing from another table. "Was someone throwing a party?"

"I wish it were something so pleasurable..." Amai muttered, half-answering him and half speaking to herself.

"Were they bothering you again?" Itachi asked without looking up from the menu, even though he couldn't see it.

"I'm sorry to say that they're always bothering me." Amai remarked, "They're in here at least once a week, literally laughing at my expense."

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"I mean they never pay a single ryo." She'd apparently forgotten that Kisame was there, "Supposedly they subtract it from my debt, but I'm not convinced they actually do. Even if they are, it would be easier if they would just pay me so that I can replace what they eat and then give them my profits like with every other customer. They eat more than anybody else... Honestly..." She muttered as she picked up the last dish and headed back into the kitchen with the load before returning to Itachi and Kisame. "So what will it be?"

"I'll have the strawberry cake and my usual tea." Itachi told her.

"I'll be good with some umeboshi and tea." Kisame told her.

Amai made a slight face at the combination, but quickly replied, "Coming right up."

"Oh, and ojouchan, I don't suppose you have any seafood available?" Kisame remarked.

"No, I'm afraid that I don't carry seafood here." Amai told him.

"A pity."

Itachi's eyes instinctively drifted toward the sound of Amai's footsteps heading into the kitchen. Something in her voice told him that there was more to it than that, but now was hardly the time to ask her. He needed to avoid showing direct interest in her more than he already had, if only because he had taken notice of Kisame's apparent interest in their acquaintanceship.

A few minutes later, Amai returned with a tray. "Here we are. Two green teas, one strawberry cake, one serving of umeboshi, two konbu onigiri, and two onigiri stuffed with bonito flakes."

"We didn't order onigiri." Itachi pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, but I get the feeling this might be your first proper meal in the last day or so, so I prepared them anyway." She turned and looked at Kisame, "I'm afraid the bonito flakes in yours are as close to the sea as you are going to get here."

Kisame chuckled, "Well I appreciate the thought."

甘い

"So, she seems nice." Kisame commented after he and Itachi had left the village.

"She's a thoughtful person and a skilled waitress." Itachi agreed with a detached tone, trying to avoid where he felt this was going.

"That's not what I mean." Kisame continued, "She's pretty friendly. Not remotely unnerved by your presence."

"I suppose she's gotten used to me after serving me every day for a week."

"She wasn't afraid of me either, and most girls are at least a little skittish." Kisame pointed out.

"She's a naive girl. I doubt she has ever been outside of her village."

"You're pretty fond of her, aren't you? I don't think you've ever visited the same place so often."

"Don't be ridiculous. It was just the most convenient option on each occasion."

"Right. What was I thinking? As if you would ever be sweet on a girl who makes sweets."

Itachi suspected that Kisame was being sarcastic at this point, but he didn't spare him the satisfaction of an answer.

* * *

Okay, so first, I would like to point out that, at least right now, Amai is the only OC in this story. All of the other characters are canon. They appear in a novel called Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled, which tells the story of Sasuke confirming what Obito told him about Itachi by visiting the village where Itachi got his medicine. I'm guessing it was never translated into English. As a result, Reishi, Kina, and Jiryuu may be a bit OOC since I don't know anything about their mannerisms. However, the existence of the novel serves as proof that we really don't know _what_ when on with Itachi most of the time he was with Akatsuki. Since he spent a full week in Howling Wolf Village once or twice a year, he obviously had time to form a relationship.

At any rate, Amai's name means both "sweet" and "naive", hence the title and the way people refer to her. I chose the name as a reference to Itachi's fondness for sweet things. Sasuke also uses it to call Naruto "soft" in The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, so it appears to also carry the meaning of being too kind for one's own good.

EDIT 03/30/19: I realized that Howling Wolf Village is actually very close to the sea, so I had to correct that.

Konbu Onigiri are rice balls stuffed with seaweed. According to Chibi Sasuke's Sharingan Legend, they are Itachi's favorite type of onigiri. Chibi Sasuke is, of course, completely non-canon, but it sticks to canon with regard to the characters' likes and dislikes.


	2. We’re the Same

Amai was pleasantly surprised when Itachi showed up again a month later, and she smiled at him as he walked in the door. "Your associate isn't with you this time?"

"We're partners with regards to work, but we're not glued to each other outside of our missions." Itachi told her.

"That may be so, but this village isn't exactly a tourist destination." She remarked dryly, "You probably came out of your way to come here. He didn't question why?"

"He thinks I've just developed a preference for the sweets here."

"And have you?"

"Your sweets are well-made..." Itachi began slowly, not wanting to make any implications, but also not wanting to insult her, "But in truth, I was concerned about you being bothered by the Sendō Clan."

"So you figured that if you keep showing up here once a month, they might back off a little because they're already terrified of you." Amai guessed in amusement.

"What gave you that idea?" Itachi asked, not so much denying his intentions as inquiring why she believed the Sendō feared him.

"I heard from Reishi-kun about how you protected Rengyōdō during your stay a couple of months ago." Amai remarked, "That, and I saw Sendō Jiryuu's face when you confronted him in my store that one day."

Itachi sat down at a table near the kitchen, where he would be able to talk to Amai while she worked, "Well, I won't deny that I was hoping to deter them a little."

She chuckled, "So what will you have today?"

"Tea and botchan dango will be fine."

"All right." Amai said, moving over to the counter to prepare the food.

"May I ask you about something?"

"What is it?" Amai asked as she rolled a few balls of dough.

"When I was here last, my partner asked you about seafood... it seemed to unnerve you a little."

Amai's eyes widened and she dropped the last dumpling into the boiling pot with a rather loud plop, jumping slightly as it splashed her. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and stirred the pot absentmindedly as she considered her answer. "...My parents drowned in the lake two years ago... I've... had an aversion to seafood ever since then... Those bonito flakes are the only thing I can even stand to keep in stock. I never eat them myself though."

Itachi considered this, "This used to be a shinobi village, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Were your parents shinobi?"

"They were."

Itachi was quiet for a moment. If Amai's parents had been shinobi, then they should've known how to walk on water, or at least how to swim. If they had drowned in the lake, then...

"They were addicted, weren't they? To Sengenzai. That's why you now owe a debt to the Sendō."

"Yes... but... The Sendō... were not involved in my parents' death. At least, not directly..."

Itachi got the feeling that there was something more she wasn't telling him, but he didn't ask. After all, he too, had a past that he would rather not speak of.

甘い

A month later, Itachi came to the tea shop once again, and things proceeded the way they usually did. With this being his eleventh visit, their interactions were almost habitual. She greeted him, took his order, prepared it, and they engaged in casual conversation all the while. They didn't simply engage in small talk, but the conversations were not particularly personal either, which seemed to suit the both of them just fine. Even without speaking of their actual lives, there was a feeling of companionship between them.

It was when he visited a second time that month that things began to change.

Itachi walked into the shop as always, but it was later in the day than he would usually come by. He had just finished a mission with Kisame, one that had resulted in them winding up in the area of Howling Wolf Village once again. Itachi had headed there with the excuse that he needed to recuperate a bit from the mission. The mission, however, had also resulted in him entering the shop at dusk. Amai was sweeping the floor when he came in, and she looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh! Itachi-san! Welcome!"

"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Itachi asked, "I know it's evening and that you'll probably be closing soon."

"You're right, I was just about to close up." Amai said, but she smiled, "But it's no trouble! Just let me take down the banner and then I'll get your food!"

"All right." Itachi sat at his usual spot as Amai walked out the front door and removed the banner that showed her store was open, rolling it up and setting it aside as she walked in and closed the usually open front door.

"All right, now that that's taken care of, what kinds of food do you like?" She asked while moving over to the kitchen. If she could've seen his face beneath his jingisa, she'd have noticed that Itachi was looking rather confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I have a new matcha and adzuki cake that I think you'll enjoy, but you can't just have tea and cake at this hour! You need a proper meal first." Amai explained as she shifted through a cabinet.

"I don't want to put you out..." The shinobi said uncertainly.

"Oh don't worry about it." Amai replied with a wave of her hand, "What do you think I do when I close up shop anyway? A little companionship during a meal never hurt anyone, and it's hardly more effort to cook for two instead of one. Besides, I spend all _day_ cooking. One extra meal isn't going to kill me."

"Besides sweets, I prefer cabbage and onigiri..." Itachi replied, his way of admitting defeat. At the moment, Amai vaguely reminded him of his mother or Izumi. There was just no winning with a woman when she was determined to take care of you.

"You're not opposed to meat, are you?"

"Not so long as it isn't steak, no."

"Great! Then I'll whip up some cabbage rolls, rice, and we can finish off with that cake. Do you want fried rice or steamed?"

"I prefer fried."

"Coming right up."

Itachi watched Amai through the fringe on his hat. His vision wasn't great, but he wasn't completely blind yet, although he had activated his Sharingan in order to see her a bit more clearly. The girl hummed to herself as she worked, the sleeves of her kosode tied back with a tasuki and an innocent smile on her face. Watching her work reminded him again of his mother, but he wondered absentmindedly just how exactly she would react if she knew his true identity. The girl was totally clueless that she was preparing to share a meal with an S-Ranked international criminal. Would she still be so carefree if she knew?

He couldn't help but think that Amai was dangerously unguarded with regards to the kind of people she allowed into her life. Certainly, it was not her place to judge or ask questions of people who came here during business hours, but to insist he have dinner with her? They had spent, at most, five or six hours together in the past four months. How could she trust him so openly? He would blame it on her being from a small, safe village, but he'd already seen firsthand just the kind of dangers that she'd been exposed to. He couldn't help but worry... that her naive kindness was going to get her killed one day.

When she finished cooking, Amai brought the meal over to Itachi, and—after fussing over his refusal to remove his hat, even while the shop was closed—began to eat. She had never noticed him watching her with the Sharingan, in part because he had made sure to stop using it once her attention was on him. The two of them engaged in their usual conversation, with Amai asking Itachi his opinions on new recipes she was considering and Itachi remarking on her skill as a cook.

When they had finished the meal, Itachi attempted to pay Amai as usual, but she refused.

"For me, being able to share a meal with you is enough." She insisted. Feeling he had no choice but to accept her decision, Itachi bade her goodbye and walked toward the door, with Amai following to see him out. However, he was still at least five feet from it when he suddenly groaned and staggered.

"Itachi-san!" Amai cried in alarm, rushing forward and catching him as he collapsed, his hat falling off in the process. He wasn't unconscious, so Amai merely ended up supporting him and helping him to sit down as she knelt next to him. She carefully pressed the back of her palm to his cheek. "You've got a terrible fever..."

"I'm... fine..." Itachi insisted, but Amai shook her head.

"Don't be ridiculous! You need to rest! You're in no condition to leave!"

"I need... to meet up... with Kisame..." Itachi told her.

"The way you are now, you won't even make it out of the village." Amai told him, "He knows where you are, right? If he gets worried, he can come looking for you, but you're staying _here_ tonight, and the next night if necessary! I am not letting you leave until your fever is gone!" When he opened his mouth to protest, she fixed him with a stern glare, "Do _not_ argue with me, Itachi-san! You can't win _this_ fight!" Itachi gave a resigned sigh, finally submitting to her and, in his fevered haze, wondered why exactly all women were stubborn in this manner. Nonetheless, he consented as Amai helped him to his feet and into the back part of the store, where her living quarters were. She brought him into a bedroom and turned to remove his cloak, glaring at him when he attempted to stop her. "Stop it. You can't sleep in this. Maybe you do normally, but tonight, it's in the way. You'll be more comfortable without it." Itachi sighed in resignation and allowed her to take off his cloak, not noticing her eyes glancing up at his headband. They widened slightly, but then returned to her task, and her momentary hesitation went unnoticed by the feverish Itachi. She set Itachi's cloak aside and then helped him to sit down on the floor. "Wait here, I'm going to get out the bedding for you." Itachi didn't bother to argue. He could've forced his way out of here, but... he had to pick his battles, and this was one he didn't feel was worth the effort to win. "Take off your headband too. It will be in the way. I want to place a cold compress on your forehead once you're settled." Almost automatically, Itachi's hands moved to obey her, but then he stopped, and his eyes widened as he registered what she had just said. For the first time, he realized that she'd seen his forehead protector. He looked over at Amai, unable to really see her without the Sharingan, but he could tell that she was, by all accounts, focused entirely on her task of unfolding the futon she had pulled out of a closet to the side of the room.

When the bed was ready, she helped Itachi into it, and then draped the bedspread over him. She moved to do the same with his cloak, but then frowned. "No, you know what? This is going to be washed. Goodness knows what it's been through since the last time you were able to do so." She was honestly afraid to ask when he ever had the chance. She took the cloak and left the room, returning a moment later with a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a cloth. She poured some water into the bowl, soaked the cloth in it, wrung it out, and then folded it before placing it on Itachi's forehead.

"You aren't as alarmed as I thought you'd be..." Itachi remarked. He knew that even a girl from a backwater village like this had to know the meaning of the headband with a line scratched through the emblem of Konohagakure, and Amai was smart enough that she had probably combined that information with his name to discern who he was.

"We all have our secrets..." Amai said quietly as she softly dampened his neck with another cloth. She then folded the cloth and placed it at the base of his neck, just above his collarbone. "Here. Sometimes placing a cold compress directly on the thyroid gland helps to lower the body temperature. Now you get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a little while. If you need me, ring that little gong. I'm not leaving the house, so I'll hear it."

甘い

Amai sighed as she soaked Itachi's cloak in the washtub underneath the pump faucet of her well out back, her face lost in thought. Uchiha Itachi... some people called him "the Clan-Killer Itachi", but... that wasn't the Itachi that she knew. The Itachi she knew was kind and chivalrous. She started scrubbing the cloak as she continued thinking with her brow furrowed. It wasn't that she was denying the truth of Itachi's identity, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened in his past that had caused him to commit such a crime. "I wonder..." she murmured while turning to look up at the moon, "Could he share the same pain as I? Are we carrying the same burden?"

甘い

Later that evening, Amai came into the room, carrying another pitcher and a cup. Itachi had been sleeping as far as she could tell, but he seemed to wake as soon as she entered. "Sorry I woke you. Are you thirsty?"

"A little." Itachi admitted. Amai removed the cloths from his neck and forehead, helped him to sit up, and then poured something into the cup.

"This is an herbal tea that should help with your fever. It's more effective when taken cold instead of hot. It also has a few herbs to help you sleep more comfortably tonight." She explained.

"You seem to know a lot about looking after someone with an illness." Itachi remarked as he accepted the cup.

Amai looked down. She knew that, coming from Itachi, that was a compliment, but... "My little sister was often ill like this..."

"'Was'?" Itachi asked. It belatedly occurred to him that he had never seen the sister she'd just mentioned.

Amai nodded, her eyes lined with tears, "My younger sister was... of poor constitution. She got sick often. Things only got worse when, shortly after the Rōen incident, our parents became addicted to Sengenzai." She clutched the fabric of her hakama as the tears began to fall, "They became so useless that I had to look after the shop and Adzuki all by myself... and then they would go and spend all of the earnings on Sengenzai, without leaving anything to support ourselves or the store... we were out of money within a month, and that was when they started borrowing from the Sendō. They would be given Sengenzai on credit, and then all of our money would go to that clan... the debt just kept climbing higher and higher... I didn't know what to do... ...and then Adzuki got sick. Maybe a year or so after their addiction had started, she got really, really sick. She just woke up one morning in absolute misery. I didn't open the shop that day, just in case she was contagious, and spent all day taking care of her. I tried to get help, but... none of the doctors were willing to treat a penniless child whose family was drowning in debt... not when the village was already suffering the crisis caused by the Sengenzai. I asked Reishi-kun for help, but... he was only eight-years-old at the time, and only knew how to make Kotarō, which couldn't really help her, although he did give me some medicine made with refined Kotarō to make her more comfortable, and told me not to worry about paying him back. I tried desperately... I did everything I knew to do... but in the end, it just wasn't enough. She passed away in my arms that night, and in that moment... I couldn't take it anymore." Amai sniffled and wiped her eyes in a futile attempt to stop the tears before she continued, "In that moment, I hated my parents, and I hated the Sengenzai even more. The entire day, they had been so consumed by it that they had never even known that Adzuki was sick. When my tears had stopped, I found them passed out, so I took their entire supply of Sengenzai. When they woke up and found it gone, I told them I had it and got them to chase me. It's not hard to outrun two people who are in a drugged stupor, even if they are former shinobi. I led them to the lake, and told them that if the Sengenzai was so precious to them, they would have to retrieve it. Then I threw it into the water. I'm sure you can guess what happened next."

"They drowned themselves trying to retrieve the Sengenzai." Itachi surmised.

Amai nodded, "I didn't actually think that they would do that, and when I realized how far they were willing to go, I tried to stop them, to save them... it was Reishi-kun who saved me."

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"Reishi-kun saw what was happening and held me back. I was trying to go after my parents, but he stopped me and forced me to realize that no matter how much I wanted to, I didn't have the strength to save my parents." Her gaze was distant as she attempted to tuck a stray hair behind her ears. "That's why I've always been fond of those two. Kina-chan was only a toddler at the time, but Reishi-kun looked out for me when nobody else did, even though he is five years my junior."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Itachi asked.

"Not really. They know about Adzuki's illness, and that my parents drowned in the lake, but they just think that my parents were... not of sound mind when it happened." Amai replied.

"And they're right." Itachi replied, "Your parents were not of sound mind. If they were, they wouldn't have drowned themselves in pursuit of a narcotic."

"But if I hadn't thrown it into the lake—"

"They'd still be alive?" Itachi asked, "Perhaps, but that's assuming that they wouldn't have died from overdosing at some point, of which there is little guarantee. Even if they were still alive, you'd be no better off, Amai. In fact, it would be worse for you. You'd only find yourself buried further and further under their debt. Now, at least, you have a chance to get out from under the Sendō Clan."

Amai sniffled and wiped her tears again. "What about you? You're known for killing your clan, but... I can't imagine that doing so was your choice. In fact, from what I've heard, you have a little brother. His name is Sasuke, right? I bet he means the world to you, just like Adzuki meant the world to me."

Itachi's eyes widened, and then he smiled weakly, "You've seen right through me, but perhaps that's because we are so alike." He handed his empty cup to Amai and settled back down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling as he thought of Sasuke and of his clan. "You're right, I didn't want to, but for the sake of protecting Sasuke and our village, I had no choice."

"What do you mean?" Amai asked.

"The Uchiha Clan had been ostracized by the village for many years, in the same way that Reishi-kun and Kina-kun are here. Other members of the village were suspicious of us for things that we had nothing to do with." Itachi explained, "Naturally, the members of my clan resented being treated with such prejudice. That anger simmered beneath the surface for nearly eight years, before it finally reached the boiling point. The adults of the clan had decided to launch a coup d'tat and drew up plans for carrying it out. If they were not stopped, it would've triggered a civil war that would've made Konoha vulnerable to attack by outside forces."

"Naturally, once they were subdued, the adults of the clan would be punished as traitors, leaving their children traumatized and planting new seeds of resentment toward the village, which would be nurtured by even greater prejudice against them." Amai said quietly.

Itachi closed his eyes and nodded. "Thus, a higher-up in Konoha asked me to assassinate my clan, under the basis that if a clan member was responsible for it, the peace in Konoha could be preserved. In exchange, I would be allowed to spare my brother." Itachi opened his eyes again, "I accepted the mission on that condition. I knew enough about this man to know that he could've wiped out our entire clan at once and make it look like we'd been hit by a plague, but if I carried it out myself, at least Sasuke would be safe. Before I left, I warned him that if he did anything to harm my brother, I would leak village secrets to our enemies. I also had the assurance of the Third Hokage, whom I did trust, that Sasuke would be cared for. After that, I joined a criminal organization in order to learn of their intentions, and to keep them away from Konoha."

"So even now, you protect Konoha, even without anyone knowing."

"Yes. I have just one goal aside from that. To live long enough to be able to battle my brother, one-on-one. When that time comes, he will kill me, and be hailed as a hero who killed his villainous brother."

"Do you think that will fix it?! Do you think that you dying by his hand will heal Sasuke-kun's heart from the pain of this tragedy?!" Amai exclaimed suddenly.

"Probably not." Itachi acknowledged, trying to ignore the emotion that her outburst had been filled with, "But I'm going to die anyway. My fever tonight is but an episode caused by fatigue. My illness itself is terminal. So if I'm going to die, I would rather it be by Sasuke's hand. In that way, at least, I will have paid for my crime."

"Idiot..."

Itachi glanced up at Amai, because literally nobody had ever called him that.

"Itachi, you idiot!" She exclaimed again, tears streaming down her face, "You didn't commit any crime! It wasn't your fault! The officials in Konoha who oppressed the Uchiha... the man who ordered you to kill your own clan... the adults who wanted to start a civil war... _They're _the ones to blame for all of this, not you! By protecting your brother, you protected your clan's future! At least if he survives, it has a chance to be reborn! You said yourself that if you hadn't accepted that mission, that man would've found a way to quietly kill everyone off. Then what?! Your clan would've had no future at all!" Abruptly, she laid her head on his chest, still sobbing, "Don't you get it?! The greatest victims of a tragedy, the ones who suffer the most, are the ones who must endure the pain that follows afterward!"

Itachi didn't move as Amai continued sobbing with her head on his chest, partially because he was stunned by her actions, and partially because he was stunned by what she had said. Amai's words reflected exactly what he had been trying to tell her when she spoke of her family's death. They were exactly the same.

甘い

After a while, Amai's sobs died away as she fell into a fitful sleep. Itachi didn't bother with trying remove her from him. Instead, he gazed at the girl (as best as he could), idly reaching up with his hand and running his fingers through the top of her hair, where her braid was loosest, marveling at how they were so alike, yet so different.

The two of them carried the same pain and bore similar burdens, but seemed to respond in completely different ways. No, that wasn't quite right. Their response was the same; they both acted as if their pain did not exist. The difference was in how they portrayed that.

Itachi was always distant and unattached, acting as though he felt nothing at all. That had always been his way. Even before that horrible night, he had mostly hidden his thoughts and feelings about things because he thought that was what others wanted. It had never turned out well when he voiced his disagreement with other members of the clan. After joining the Akatsuki, Itachi had essentially buried all of his emotions in order to keep up the facade of being a heartless villain who'd killed his entire clan for the heck of it. Even Kisame thought that he was a man who cared about literally nothing—except, maybe, what kind of sweets he could find in any given location. The only one in Akatsuki aside from Madara who had ever known that he still had someone he was attached to in Konoha had been his first partner, Biwa Juzo, and he had only realized that fact moments before his death.

Amai was the exact opposite of him in this respect. Although she also buried her negative emotions deep within her, she greeted nearly everyone she met with a warm smile. She was friendly and accommodating, always looking out for the needs of others. Although Itachi had known that she didn't have a family, that her parents had been addicted to Sengenzai, and that she was troubled by the Sendō, he had never once known the depth of her hardships, just as she had never suspected the truth about him.

Perhaps he was just as naive as she was.

* * *

So, yeah, this is the point at which Amai and Itachi learn the truth about each other's past, which is where their romance truly begins. Up until now, they've just been looking out for each other because they are both kind by nature. It's a little hard to think of Itachi as being naive at this stage in his life, but he's coming to realize that there are still things about the world that he doesn't understand.


	3. Repaying a Debt

Amai slowly opened her eyes the next morning, groggily trying to figure out why she was sleeping in such an odd position and what exactly she was sleeping _on_. She gasped and jolted upright as she recalled what had happened the night before and realized that she had fallen asleep while leaning on Itachi. Face bright red, she looked over at him in embarrassment, then sighed in relief when she realized that he was sound asleep. It seemed the tea had helped after all. Carefully, she got up, silently retrieving a new kimono and obi before heading into another room.

The room they had been in had actually been her bedroom, because Amai had intended on remaining with Itachi all night in case he needed her, just as she had done with Adzuki. However, falling asleep on the Uchiha boy had most definitely _not_ been her plan! She had meant to lay out a second futon a short distance from his once he was settled again, and instead had done _that! _How utterly embarrassing!

Amai splashed her face with water, as she did every morning, but this time she was praying that it would make the redness in her cheeks fade a bit. She changed her clothes, fixed her hair, and then went outside.

甘い

The first thing Itachi noticed when he awoke was the smell of food cooking. He then became aware of the fact that Amai was no longer sleeping with her head on his chest. That tea she made must've really worked, for him not to notice when she got up, especially since he had fallen asleep while running his fingers through her hair.

He tried not to dwell on the implications of that.

When they were preteens, Itachi had been fully aware of Izumi's feelings for him, but had told himself that as a ninja, he didn't have time to think about her that way. Nonetheless, he had somehow fallen in love with the Uchiha girl, to the point that he had chosen to kill her first in order to strengthen his resolve, and he had done it in the kindest way possible. Izumi had died a blissful death, believing that she had been able to fulfill her dreams of living alongside Itachi, and Itachi had, if only for an instant, lived out his dreams alongside her.

**The road that's being faintly lit up by the pure moonlight**

**I wonder where it is leading us both to?**

He was determined it would never happen again. If, as a ninja of Konoha, he hadn't had time for romance, he certainly didn't have the time now that he was a rogue ninja working for Akatsuki. There was absolutely nothing good that could come from that.

Besides, he was terminally ill and his days were numbered. If he developed a romance with Amai, at the very least, she would end up heartbroken in the end. Neither of them needed to suffer that pain of loss once more.

**Could the faintly wavering moonlight on the lake**

**Be reflecting a future that we have not seen?**

Looking around, Itachi noticed his freshly washed cloak hanging on the door, and his headband and jingisa resting nearby. Now that he was actually paying attention, he realized that this must've been Amai's bedroom. However, since she told him last night that she had often cared for her sister during illness, he assumed she had just been planning to sleep next to him for convenience. They both knew what had happened last night was a complete accident.

He reached for his cloak, but then stopped. Come to think of it...

He headed over to the kitchen, where Amai was cooking what he assumed was breakfast. There was no way it was lunch. Kisame would definitely have shown up looking for him by now if that was the case.

"Amai-san..." He said softly, not wanting to startle her as he entered the doorway.

"Oh, Itachi-san! Are you feeling better?" Amai asked as she looked over at him.

"I am, thank you." Itachi said with a nod, "Would you mind if I use the toilet?"

"Oh! Of course!" Amai replied, "It's actually right there behind you. More convenient when I'm working, you know?"

Itachi nodded and headed into the water closet behind him while Amai resumed her cooking. Since there weren't many other options, he used the sink there to wash his face, and then returned to her room to get his things.

When he re-entered the kitchen, Amai pursed her lips at the sight of him wearing his jingisa. "For goodness's sake, take that off! The shop isn't even open yet, and it's not as if I haven't seen your headband by now!"

Itachi paused, mostly just because he was surprised by the outburst, but he conceded to her logic and took it off.

Amai brought the dishes for their breakfast over to the table and set them down. "Here we go. Onigiri and tamagoyaki. Sorry. My breakfasts are usually pretty plain."

"Don't worry about it." Itachi told her with a kind smile, and Amai noticed something.

"Hey... why are you using your Sharingan?" She asked in confusion. "Not that it bothers me, but..."

"I'm not completely blind yet, and it's easier for me to see when I use it." Itachi replied.

"Ah, I see." Amai said with a nod. "All the same, try not to drain your chakra just from eating breakfast. You don't want to collapse again." At the somewhat surprised look he gave her, Amai laughed. "I may never have been a shinobi, but I do know a little about ninja and chakra!"

"I see." Itachi said as he looked down at his food.

_'The Sharingan... is really pretty...' _Amai thought to herself, _'You can get lost in those eyes just by looking at them, even without him using genjutsu... In fact, now that I can really see his face, Itachi-san... is really handsome... Aah! What am I thinking?!'_

Amai quickly looked down at her own food and began to eat, not noticing as Itachi looked up at her. Her hair was fashioned a bit differently today. It was still braided, but she had pulled the braid into a bun on the side of her head and... was that a hairpin? Itachi couldn't help but wonder what had spurred her to wear that, and then wondered why he was bothering to take notice of it. He quickly shifted his eyes back to the meal.

**I'm scared of the number of people who are precious to me growing**

**I was living with myself closed off, and yet somehow we still met**

Just as they were finishing, there was a loud knock at the door to the shop.

"Oh, perhaps Kisame-san has come looking for you." Amai said as she looked toward the entrance.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "No... it's the Sendō." He warned her.

Amai frowned, and then she sighed. "I'd better answer before they break down the door then." She removed her hairpin and set it on the table before going over to the door. She unlocked it and before she could blink, Sendō Jiryuu strode in, followed by a few of his clan members.

"Ah, Lord Jiryuu. What brings you here? I'm... sure you realize that I'm not open yet..." The poor girl managed as she closed the door and walked in front of them.

"One of my men saw that guy in the cloak come into your shop, just before you closed last night. He's been coming here a lot lately." Jiryuu said with suspicion, "And he didn't leave when you closed up. In fact, he never left at all as far as anyone knows."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Did Jiryuu have Amai under constant surveillance or something? Even if she owed him money, there was no reason for that. She didn't really have the option of skipping town.

"Yes, he did come here last night." Amai said, "I closed up before he left so that nobody else would come in and cause me to work late. He was just about to leave after eating when he came down with a fever, so I had him stay here last night to rest."

"You let a strange man just stay with you overnight?" Jiryuu asked with a raised brow.

"Lord Jiryuu, he was sick. I couldn't just toss him out." Amai insisted. She was definitely too kind for her own good.

"Amai, you're only fifteen. What kind of ideas do you think people get when they see a man enter your home and not leave the whole night?" Jiryuu asked her.

Amai glared at him with indignation, "Lord Jiryuu, I wasn't do anything illicit! Even if I was, of what business is that of yours? My private life is my own."

"Amai, Amai, Amai..." Jiryuu chided as he strode closer to her, forcing Amai to back up against a wall, "Sweet, naive Amai. I'm afraid you don't understand. On your next birthday, you will be sixteen years of age. At that point, you will have reached an age where you will be able to pay off your debt quicker by doing far more profitable work than running this pathetic little tea shop. You may even be able to _pay_ some of the debt directly..." He put his hand on the wall beside her head, "...With your body."

Suddenly Itachi grabbed Jiryuu's wrist and shoved him away from her with greater force than the previous time. The man stumbled back, but caught himself and glared at Itachi. "Y-You..."

"How much does she owe you?" Itachi asked. He was wearing his jingisa again, so Jiryuu couldn't see his features

"What?" Jiryuu asked in confusion.

"What is the current balance of the debt that Amai-san owes to your clan?" Itachi elaborated.

"Of what business is that if yours?!" Jiryuu demanded.

"That man over there is the clan's bookkeeper." Amai whispered to Itachi, nodding her head toward a man who appeared somewhat weaker than the others. It seemed she didn't think Jiryuu was going to tell Itachi willingly.

Itachi nodded in confirmation and directed his eyes at the man, instantly catching him in a genjutsu. A mere second later, the man collapsed to the ground. "I see. So that's the amount..." He reached into his cloak and pulled out five stacks of bills, which he held out to Jiryuu. "Here. 50 million ryo to cover the 46,849,972 she still owes. Do with the extra what you will. You will remove her debt from your books and put an end to your surveillance on her."

Amai nearly called out his name in protest, but stopped herself, not wanting the Sendō to realize his identity.

Jiryuu opened and shut his mouth several times, his eyes darting back and forth between Itachi and the money, "...You're paying her debt? Why?" He finally managed.

"She took care of me while I was sick." Itachi answered. _'That's right.' _He thought to himself, _'She did for me what nobody would do for her baby sister. She took care of me without asking for anything in return. She wouldn't even let me pay her for feeding me last night.'_

**Even though my fate is trying to keep us separated and although**

**The entire world is breaking apart, I want to protect you!**

Jiryuu looked at the money, glanced at his unconscious bookkeeper, then accepted the stack of bills, quickly counting it to ensure it was the amount Itachi had said before nodding to himself, stuffing to money into his kimono, and turning to leave.

"One more thing." Itachi began, causing Jiryuu to cringe slightly, "If you ever place a hand anywhere near Amai-san again, I will break it."

Jiryuu nodded fearfully and quickly left with his men.

"Itachi-san..." Amai began, her shock obvious once the men had left, "Why did you do that? I'm sure you know that... I will literally never be able to pay you back."

Itachi turned toward her, "Don't worry about it." He told her, "I make far more money from my missions than I actually need. If I can use it to ease someone else's burden, that's more than enough to satisfy me."

Amai sniffled, wiping away a tear as she smiled, "Geez... I swear you are never paying for a meal here again!"

"That would make me feel like the Sendō..." Itachi remarked awkwardly.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Amai exclaimed, "It's different when it's my choice!"

**Even though I know it's just a fleeting dream**

**I want to be living with somebody**

Itachi sighed. He had a feeling he was never going to win an argument with this girl, no matter how absurd she was being. Then again, he much preferred her reasons for not listening to him than that of his clansmen. "He was right about one thing though. You can't just let every stranger who gets ill on their way out stay the night here. It's dangerous."

To his surprise, Amai snorted in amusement, "You think that I would do that for just anybody? Of course not! I'm not _that_ naive! I only did that for you because I knew I could trust you."

Itachi blinked, "Until last night, you knew next to nothing about me. What made you think...?"

"I knew enough." Amai said with a smile, "You've protected Rengyōdō from those guys, and while one might argue that it's because you get your medicine from there, you've also protected _me_. When you were waiting for Reishi-kun to finish making your Kotarō, you could've simply stood by when Jiryuu got mad at me for not taking you to them instead, but you didn't. And you've visited every month since then in order to look out for me." She looked down, her cheeks tinted a light pink, "So I knew... that there was no way you would ever try to harm me or take advantage of me. Regardless of who you are in this Akatsuki, the real you is kind."

"You don't know that at some point, I won't be hired to harm you..." Itachi said uncomfortably.

"Shinobi have the option of turning down missions that they don't wish to take." Amai replied simply, which Itachi couldn't deny.

**And even though I know how painful loss can be**

**I'm already thinking of somebody**

At that moment, Kisame showed up at the door. "There you are. Just how long did you plan on staying here?"

"Oh, Kisame-san!" Amai said in surprise.

"My apologies, Kisame." Itachi told his partner, "It seems I was more tired than I thought. I ended up passing out last night."

Kisame grinned, "And here I thought maybe you just decided to spend the night with Amai-chan."

"Eh?!" Amai exclaimed, her face turning bright red, "Kisame-san, we're only _fifteen!" _She quickly realized her mistake and added, "Or at least I am..." It wouldn't do for Kisame to figure out how it was that she knew Itachi's exact age.

"Calm down. I'm joking, Amai-chan." Kisame said with an amused grin, "As if Itachi-san would be messing around like that."

"Your jokes are in bad taste, Kisame." Itachi remarked, voicing his thoughts more for Amai's sake than his own. He turned and looked at the young girl. "Well then, I'll be on my way."

"Yeah." Amai said with a nod before her eyes suddenly widened, "Oh! Wait!" She hurried back into the kitchen and then came back with a small parcel wrapped in a cloth. "With all the commotion, I almost forgot. I packed you a boxed lunch."

"I don't really need that." Itachi said, trying to remain detached in front of Kisame.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Amai told him before shoving the boxed lunch at him, "If you don't eat properly, you're going to pass out again!"

"Very well." Itachi replied before reluctantly accepting the box.

**And so farewell...**

**And so farewell...**

* * *

Okay, so the text in bold is a somewhat poetic translation of Sayonara Moon Town from the Boruto Anime. It's kind of a running theme for this story. As mentioned in the abstract, Itachi is reluctant to admit he has feelings for Amai, even though he just shelled out a massive amount of money to rescue her from the Sendo. Meanwhile, Amai is becoming aware of her feelings, but is naturally afraid to express them.


	4. I Will Always Love You

"Amai-san..." Itachi began as he set down his cup of tea. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he was the only one in the cafe. This was the sixth month since he had first come to Howling Wolf Village, so he was in need of more Kotarō, which meant he would be in the village for a week.

"Yes, Itachi-san?" Amai asked, looking up from the dishes that she was washing.

"You mentioned before that you knew a little bit about ninja and chakra. You were twelve when the village demilitarized, right? Did you study before that?" He asked her.

Amai turned back to the dishes, "A little, but... when my parents became aware of Adzuki's frailty, they asked me to drop out of the program in order to take care of her, in case one of them should die on a mission. I was only seven when I gave up my training, so I didn't learn much."

"How good were you before that?"

"Average I suppose." Amai said as she began drying a plate, "I certainly wasn't a prodigy like you, but I wasn't particularly lacking." Her eyes turned distant, "It's hard to believe that the war had only been over for two years at that point..."

"Were you upset about quitting?" Itachi wondered. He would've been.

"Not really." Amai said with a shrug, "In those days, when my parents were still my parents, I didn't have to devote myself to running the store, so I was able to spend all of my time with Adzuki. For me, that was far more enjoyable than learning how to be a ninja."

Itachi nodded in understanding, "My happiest moments were those spent with Sasuke as well..." Wanting to avoid those bittersweet memories, he changed the subject a little, "It must've been hard for you to manage the store and the house by yourself."

"It was exhausting." Amai said with a nod before looking over at him and grinning. "You know what I did after the last time you were here? I closed the shop for a full week and did absolutely nothing. It was the first time in forever that I was able to take a break. And now I don't have to open the store quite so early, so it's not as hard." Come to think of it, Amai did look the most refreshed that he'd ever seen her. Before, she had always carried a slight air of exhaustion that she tried her best to hide.

"The village made me do that once." Itachi recalled, "I spent the first three days with Sasuke, which was perfectly fine with me. Then my father kicked me out of the house and told me to go spend time with a friend my own age, of which I had only one."

Amai laughed sweetly, "Did you at least enjoy it?"

"...At first..." He began slowly, "We were talking about how I had just become a Chuunin, and she was about to graduate a year early and become a genin. She didn't think it counted as talent. I suggested that maybe she shouldn't be a ninja at all, because... I didn't want her to face the hardships that missions could bring. She got upset because I had unwittingly insulted her dream... which was to walk the same path as me..."

Itachi was surprised when Amai gently squeezed his shoulders to comfort him, having not noticed that she'd even approached him. "It wasn't your fault." She told him, "The situation with your clan was beyond your control. I'm sure she understood that." She squeezed his shoulders again, and then returned to her work. "Anyway, what was the reason for your original question?" She asked, "About to what degree I've studied the ninja arts?"

Right. There had been a reason that he had asked her that. "I was thinking it might be good for you to learn taijutsu. More than you already have." Itachi explained as he watched her.

"For what reason?" Amai asked curiously.

"Self-defense." Itachi told her. "If you become skilled enough in taijutsu, you'd be able to defend yourself if the Sendō Clan tries to bother you again."

"While I see your point, how exactly am I supposed to learn that now? There's no longer a training program in this village."

"I could give you a little bit of training while I'm waiting on the Kotaro to be finished." Itachi replied.

"Wouldn't that be a bit dangerous for you, given your current circumstances?" Amai asked with worry.

"It's not a problem." Itachi assured her, "The Akatsuki isn't bothering to keep tabs on me this week. Even Kisame won't come looking for me. At most, I might have to use a particular jutsu to attend a meeting for the purpose of staying informed, but they won't ask about what I'm doing. The leader of the Akatsuki is aware of my situation. The others won't bother questioning him."

"Well then, I think I'll take you up on that." Amai said as she set the last dish aside, "We can do it at Kodon Shrine after I've closed up. I'll need to change into something more convenient though. While we're at it, you might as well teach me ninjutsu. For all I know, the Sendō might try to set my shop on fire at some point."

"I wouldn't think that you'd be keen on using Water Style..." Itachi remarked quietly. He already knew she possessed the ability.

"No, I wouldn't be." She admitted, "But when it comes to defending one's home, beggars can't be choosers!"

甘い

Later that week, on Itachi's last day in the village, Amai was sweeping the floor during an afternoon lull when someone walked into her store. She looked up with a smile, expecting it to be Itachi, but frowned and narrowed her eyes when she found instead that it was the Sendo's bookkeeper.

"What do you want?" She asked icily.

"Now, now, Amai dear." The man remarked as he approached her, "Is that any way to greet a customer?"

"No one from the Sendō Clan has been in here since my debt was paid off last month." Amai remarked, "It seems you lot don't care for my food when you actually have to pay for it."

"Now, now, don't be like that." He said coyly.

"If you're actually here to eat, then take a seat. Otherwise, tell me what you are here for."

He clicked his tongue. "You are a true businesswoman, but then, that's part of what I like about you."

"What are you talking about?" She asked suspiciously.

"Amai dear, you just turned sixteen, didn't you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"You're my ideal woman, Amai." He told her as he took another step toward her. "You're skilled at handling money and business affairs, you're a good cook, and quite capable at housework. I would admit that you could be a bit more submissive... but you can be trained, I'm sure."

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!" Amai demanded.

"I want to marry you, Amai." He said simply, "It wasn't an option when you owed so much to the clan, but now, you've managed to escape that while retaining your purity, so there would be no shame in taking you as my wife."

"I refuse."

"Come now, Amai. I could give you a life you've only dreamed of. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone take care of _you _for once?"

"I'm not interested in any life that you could offer me! Now if you aren't going to buy something, then get out of my store!" Amai abruptly shoved the end of her broom into his stomach, sending him flying back out the entrance of her store. The man groaned as he landed on his back, then looked up, only to see Itachi standing beside him. The bookkeeper gave a yelp of fright and scurried down the street like a rat. Amai, who was now standing in the doorway, raised an eyebrow before letting Itachi inside. "What did you do to him in that genjutsu last month?" She questioned.

"It doesn't really matter." Itachi said mildly. Amai rolled her eyes at his evasion of her question, but didn't press him about it. "What was that about?" He asked her.

Amai sighed, "That was Sendo Kane. As you know, he is the Sendo Clan's bookkeeper. He was trying to convince me to marry him."

"You're only fifteen." Itachi remarked.

"Actually, I just turned sixteen." Amai said, "But it doesn't matter. I'm legally old enough to marry, so even though I'm not old enough to drink alcohol, people like that are starting to come after me like rabid dogs. If I had parents, they wouldn't dare..." She muttered this last part, but Itachi understood her frustration.

"That was a well-aimed shot." He commented mildly, referring to how she had thrown the man out without damaging her door in the process.

Amai blushed, "Well I had a good teacher."

甘い

A few weeks later, Itachi walked into the Akatsuki's hideout with Kisame, where their leader Pain and his partner/second-in-command Konan were waiting. "What is it, Konan-san?" He asked. She had been the one to actually call them, but she and Pain were rarely seen apart, if ever.

"We've gotten a request for a new mission, but something about it doesn't sit right with me." Konan told him.

"Itachi, you're familiar with the Howling Wolf Village, aren't you?" Pain asked.

"Reasonably so."

"That's why we wanted your opinion." Konan told him, "A clan there known as the Sendo has requested that we abduct a girl by the name of Amai and bring her to them. As a woman myself, I can't help but be a bit concerned about their reasons."

"Oh, so they've come to the Akatsuki now?" Kisame asked with interest before looking at Itachi, "But didn't that girl mention that she owed a large debt to that clan? Why would they need us?"

"You're familiar with the target herself?" Pain asked.

"She runs a tea shop that I visit when I'm in that village." Itachi replied simply, "It's true that she did owe a debt to the Sendo, but that debt was paid off nearly two months ago."

"Which brings us back to the question of what reasons they might have." Konan replied. "Is there anything particularly special about that girl?"

"She's a poor girl with no family." Itachi replied, "And her only talents are in cooking and making tea and sweets. However, I seem to recall that when I was last there, a member of the Sendo was trying to convince her to marry him. She responded by throwing him out."

"So that's it then." Konan remarked thoughtfully, "They want us to abduct her so they can force her to marry a clan member."

"Many of the Sendo are former shinobi. They would probably use genjutsu to coerce her." Itachi confirmed.

"What do you want to do, Konan?" Pain asked, "I can understand if you would prefer that we turn down this request."

"...No." Konan said slowly, "If we do that, it will damage our reputation, and they'll just find somebody else. Instead, I'm going to extend the terms of the mission."

"Oh?" Kisame asked with interest.

"Itachi, since you know both the area and the target, you and Kisame will take this one." Konan continued, "Abduct the girl and deliver her to the Sendo. However, instead of leaving after you've collected the reward, conceal yourselves and observe what happens. If they really do try to use genjutsu to force that girl into a marriage, then you will intervene and put a stop to it. As a woman, I cannot condone that type of action."

"I agree with Konan." Pain said with a nod, "It is something that conflicts with the ideals on which we built the Akatsuki."

"Understood." Itachi replied.

甘い

A few hours later, Itachi stood on a cliff overlooking Howling Wolf Village with Kisame.

"You okay with this?" Kisame asked, "I mean, you're pretty friendly with that girl, aren't you?"

"You've confused my fondness for sweets with a fondness for her." Itachi remarked flatly.

"Heh, heartless as always." Kisame remarked. Itachi closed his eyes. That's right. Everyone had to believe that about him. Kisame... and even Amai if necessary. He opened his eyes again and stood up.

"Amai should be just about to close up her shop. I'll go in alone. The villagers are used to that, and she'll be alarmed if you show up after hours with me."

"But she won't have a problem with just you?" Kisame asked.

"She's a naive girl who has chosen to trust me." Itachi replied.

"Heh, her parents should've picked a better name for her."

Itachi wasn't sure if he agreed or not.

**The road is being faintly lit up by the pure moonlight**

**I wonder where it is that we're going to?**

Amai was straightening up her shop after closing when she heard a knock at her door. "Who could that be?" She wondered aloud. She walked over to the door and opened it, looking slightly surprised, but not unhappy when she saw Itachi standing there. "Itachi-san!" She stood aside to let him in, "What are you doing here at this hour? Are you feeling fatigued from a mission again?"

"No..." Itachi began as he watched her shut the door, "I'm on a mission right now."

"Huh?" Amai asked in confusion. Her bewilderment grew as Itachi reached forward and grabbed her wrist, not tightly enough to hurt her, but firmly enough that she wouldn't be able to get free.

"Amai-san... I've been ordered to kidnap you and deliver you to the Sendo."

Amai's eyes widened in a way Itachi couldn't quite read, and then her gaze fell and she bit her lip, "...I see..."

"I warned you that this might happen." Itachi reminded her as he turned her around and began to bind her wrists behind her back.

"Yes... And I said that a shinobi can turn down a mission if they don't want to take it, even more so for someone without ties to a village... Which means that if you accepted this mission, then you must have a reason."

Itachi stopped for a moment, and then he resumed his task. "You still trust me, even now?"

"I do, because I know the real you, Itachi-san. I know that you would break your own heart over and over again to protect the things that you hold dear." Amai replied, "You can't fool me, Itachi-san. You said that the reason you're almost always using your Sharingan is to be able to see better, but I don't think that's true, or at least, not entirely. I think the real reason is that no matter how hard you try, you can't completely bury the pain within your heart, so no matter how distant you act or how much you pretend you don't care about anything, your eyes show the truth. I did a bit of research and learned that those with the Sharingan tend to subconsciously activate it when facing psychological stress. You can't deactivate it even if you want to. It only fades when you're exhausted, like on the night that you had that fever. I also know the 25th Rule of the Shinobi. 'A shinobi never allows personal feelings to interfere with the mission.' Even so... I trust you." Tears began to flow down Amai's face as she continued, "I know it's stupid and I know it's naive, but I can't help it, Itachi-san, because... I love you." Itachi froze at her words, but she didn't seem to notice, "It's okay if you don't return my feelings. I understand if you can't. Just know that no matter what you end up doing tonight, tomorrow, or any day after this, I will always love you."

Amai's tears continued to flow as Itachi wordlessly finished binding her hands, unable to say anything. He couldn't let his feelings show, not right now. When he finished, he turned Amai back around to face him. "I'm going to take the back way out." He told her, and she nodded, obviously understanding his reasons for that. Itachi picked the young woman up and slung her over his shoulder, making his way to her back door. He was mildly surprised by how light she was, and bitterly reminded that Izumi had also been very slender, and that he had liked that about her. As he exited the house, checking his surroundings for any auras that might prove problematic, he couldn't stop his gaze from drifting up toward the night sky.

**On the night of the full moon, without a single sound**

**Something is vanishing, along with the city**

It wasn't long before Itachi met back up with Kisame. "Any trouble?" The shark-man asked.

"No." Itachi replied as he set Amai on her feet, "She didn't attempt to resist, so I was able to take her quietly and without being noticed."

Kisame noticed the tears flowing down Amai's cheeks and grinned, "Don't worry, Amai-chan. Since you didn't try to fight back, Itachi-san didn't even have to put you under genjutsu. Just keep being a good girl and you won't get hurt." Amai quickly turned her head away from Kisame, nearly whacking Itachi's arm with her braid in the process before it settled onto her shoulder.

"That's enough, Kisame." Itachi said sternly, "Let's go." He took hold of Amai's upper arm.

"Right, we still have to deliver her to the client, after all." Kisame said with a nod as he strapped his sword to his back again.

Save for the occasional hitching of her breath, Amai remained silent as Itachi guided her to the rendezvous point, her head hanging. For his part, Itachi was deliberately avoiding looking at Amai, though neither she nor Kisame noticed this. The only thing Amai did notice was the gentleness of Itachi's grip on her arm, just enough to steer her in the right direction or prevent her from falling if she tripped.

Contrary to what Kisame had thought, Amai was not afraid of him and Itachi. Well, she would be afraid of Kisame if Itachi were not there, but she was still convinced that Itachi had no desire to harm her, and she had no plans to give him a reason to. The moment he had told her about his mission, she had decided that she would come along quietly, in order to spare him the pain that having to subdue her would bring. He'd been forced to hurt the people he cared for far too much as it was. Amai knew that, even if Itachi did not feel for her what she felt for him, she was still, at the very least, a friend. They had a bond that could not be severed, of that, she was certain.

What she was afraid of was the Sendo and their reasons for kidnapping her. If they were planning to force her into marrying Kane, then not only would her love go unrequited, but she would be forever separated from Itachi by something she could not escape. She was also upset that Itachi had been placed into the position of doing something that completely conflicted with who he really was. That was why she was crying.

When they reached the Sendo's hideout, several members of the clan were waiting for them, including Jiryuu and Kane. Jiryuu's brows arched in surprise when he recognized Itachi and, to a lesser extent, Kisame.

"Well this is a surprise. When we hired the Akatsuki, I never guessed that they would send _you_ to fulfill our request." Jiryuu remarked.

"We brought the young lady to you, as requested." Kisame remarked, shoving Amai forward when Itachi released her arm. She cried out as she tripped and fell to the ground.

"Heh, I would never have pegged you as the type to befriend a girl and then betray her." Jiryuu remarked as he snapped his fingers, signaling a clansman to give the reward money to Itachi.

"It's dangerous to make judgments about people based on your perceptions of them." Itachi replied. He accepted the money, checked the amount, and then nodded to Kisame before the two of them disappeared.

Amai had not moved from where she had fallen when Kane walked up to her, cupping her chin and forcing her to look at him.

"My dear Amai..." He chided, "If only you'd accepted my proposal to begin with. Then your friend wouldn't have had to betray you. If he ever was your friend. I've heard that the members of Akatsuki are professionals with regards to their work as shinobi, but backstabbers in everything else."

"Why even go through them to start with, Kane?" Amai demanded. "You guys attack Rengyōdō openly all the time, so why the need to hire somebody else to kidnap me?"

"Well, I see your spirit is still intact." Kane remarked, "We'll have to fix that." Amai grunted and struggled as two of the men grabbed her by the arms and forced her to her feet.

"I'm afraid, Amai, that taking your ourselves was not an option." Jiryuu remarked, "You see, nobody in the village cares if we attack Rengyōdō, but you are another matter. Since you no longer owe money to us, they won't just simply turn a blind eye if we openly cause trouble for you. It doesn't matter now though. Now that we have you, you can either cooperate in your marriage ceremony, or we'll put you under a genjutsu and force you to say your vows."

"Just try it!" Amai explained before suddenly freeing herself from the two men and knocking them away from her using taijutsu.

"What?! But she was never a shinobi!" A member of the Sendo exclaimed in alarm as Amai formed a series of _kata_.

"Suiton dan! Orca!" Amai exclaimed, unleashing a torrent of water upon her captors, overwhelming some of them and forcing others to dodge. As the attack subsided, Amai suddenly found Kane standing directly in front of her, albeit several feet away, and she froze as his hand formed a seal.

"Impressive, Amai-chan." He remarked, "But unfortunately for you, I am a genjutsu-type, and I doubt you've ever been trained on how to free yourself from genjutsu. Now, come over here, my dear."

Amai numbly walked toward Kane, but she'd only taken a few steps when Itachi appeared beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kai!"

Amai blinked as awareness returned to her eyes and she turned and looked at Itachi. "Itachi-san!"

"You! What are you still doing here?!" Jiryuu exclaimed in alarm.

"You hired us to bring Amai to you." Itachi replied calmly, "That mission was complete once you had paid our fee. However, I was concerned about what you wanted with her, so I decided to observe. To think that you were planning on forcing my fiancé to marry a member of your clan!"

"Fiance?!" Jiryuu and a few of his clan members exclaimed. Amai turned bright red and unconsciously placed her hands on her cheeks in surprise.

Kisame had no idea what Itachi was doing, but he decided to play along, so he strode forward, "I'd hate to be the man that was trying to steal Uchiha Itachi's girl." He remarked casually.

"Uchiha..." Someone began.

"...Itachi?" Another finished.

Itachi removed his jingisa, revealing his Konoha forehead protector and the Sharingan.

One of the clan members yelled in fear, "It's really him! Uchiha Itachi... The Clan-Killer Itachi!"

Amai was just starting to remember herself when she saw the pattern in Itachi's eyes change. "Tsukuyomi." He said quietly. A moment later, all of the members of the Sendo Clan collapsed.

"It's dangerous for you to use that eye too much." Kisame remarked, "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes." Itachi said simply, "To ensure they don't make the mistake of trying this again."

"I... Itachi-san?" Amai asked, her voice laced with confusion. Itachi turned to her to explain.

"The actual mission given to us by our superiors had two parts." He told her, "The first was to abduct you and bring you to the Sendo as requested. The second was to find out what the Sendo wanted with you, and if it conflicted with our leader's ideals, to stop them."

Amai sighed in relief. "I see. But you couldn't tell me all that when you came to my place because there was a chance that you _would_ just be leaving me."

Itachi nodded. Even though what she had said was not quite accurate, he knew that she understood his true reason. With that in mind, he turned to Kisame, "I will take Amai-san home."

"Sounds good to me." Kisame remarked before looking over at Amai. "Itachi-san's probably drained himself from using that technique, so will you keep an eye on him again tonight? He might just up and collapse if he tries to meet up with me."

"I'd be happy to." Amai said with a smile. Itachi mentally face-palmed. While Amai was undoubtedly sincere and had the purest of intentions in letting him rest at her home for the night, the same could not be said for Kisame. In reality, his partner was amused by Itachi declaring Amai to be his fiancé and had made the suggestion for the sake of "letting them be alone", which was more of a means to tease Itachi than anything. However, in her typical naïveté, Amai had missed Kisame's true intentions altogether.

甘い

"Sorry about all of this..." Itachi said when they had returned to Amai's home.

"Don't worry about it." Amai replied as she prepared dinner for them, "I told you before that I trust you. I knew that if you had accepted that mission, there had to be a reason. Besides, if you had truly planned to betray me to the Sendō, you wouldn't have bound me in a way that you knew I could escape from. When did you realize that I wasn't planning on letting them have their way without a fight?"

"When I saw you start using the escape jutsu that I taught you." Itachi replied. "I'm surprised you mastered that Suiton jutsu so quickly."

"I told you before, you're a good teacher." She replied, "If things had been different, I bet you would've made a wonderful instructor at the Academy in Konoha, or maybe a Jonin instructor for a team of Genin."

"I don't know if that would've been a good fit for the path that I wanted to walk." Itachi replied awkwardly.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Amai scolded, "The Second Hokage was a Jonin Instructor to the Third, the Third was a Jonin Instructor to the Sannin, and the Fourth was an instructor of Kakashi of the Sharingan! It would've been perfect for you!"

"I suppose you have a point..." Itachi conceded, "But if you knew that I wasn't really betraying you, then why were you crying?"

"A couple of reasons." Amai replied as she turned off the stove, "One was because even though I knew you'd given me an opening, there was no guarantee I'd be able to escape from the Sendō on my own, and I was correct in thinking that, since I got caught in that genjutsu."

"I apologize for that as well." Itachi remarked, "I should've had the forethought to teach you how to break free of genjutsu."

"...The second was because I was sad for you." Amai said, choosing not to respond to Itachi's comment.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked in surprise

Amai set a bowl of stew down in front of him and then took her own seat, "I knew it had to be painful for you, to be required to place a friend in danger. I hated the fact that, because of me, you were having to suffer even more than you already have."

"None of this matter was your fault." Itachi pointed out.

"I know, but still..."

A few minutes of silence passed between them before Itachi spoke again. "I think you might be right. Being an instructor would've been a good fit for me. I actually have a student, you know."

"You do?" Amai asked in surprise.

Itachi nodded, "Not too many people know about this, but... there's another survivor of the clan besides my brother."

"There is?"

He nodded again, "About a year before... it happened... a member of the Uchiha was murdered. His wife, however, was not a member of the Uchiha Clan, but she knew about the way things were in the clan. She has a daughter, who is a year younger than Sasuke. Given the way things were, and the fact that her own clan had disowned her when she married into the Uchiha, she decided to take her daughter and leave Konoha in order to protect her. They've been living as civilians ever since then, and her daughter's name was removed from the clan's registry, so I didn't have to..." He paused for a moment, and then continued, "After I left Konoha, I managed to find them. Her mother is one of the few people who knows my secret. My student herself doesn't know about my involvement in the matter. The first time I visited them, she asked me to train her. I was hesitant at first, but... I guess I couldn't help but be a little worried about her safety. She possesses the Sharingan. If anyone found out about that, she'd be in danger, unless she knew how to use it, and that's not something she can learn from her mother. My student's dream is to someday return to Konoha as a member of the Uchiha Clan."

"What's her name?" Amai asked innocently.

"...Uchiha Aiko." He told her. "Her parents named her with the hope that she would never be consumed by the hatred that the Uchiha are prone to."

甘い

Later that night, Itachi sat on his futon and activated the jutsu that he and the other Akatsuki used to hold meetings over long distances. In his mind, he materialized in a room as a mere dark silhouette with a rainbow tint. Kisame appeared beside him in the same manner, and the other eight members of the group did the same, or otherwise already had.

"What happened on your mission, Itachi, Kisame?" Pain asked.

"It was as I suspected." Itachi replied, "The Sendō requested the abduction in order to force the girl to marry their bookkeeper."

"Did you put a stop to it?" Konan asked.

"Yeah, but we almost didn't need to." Kisame remarked, "That girl almost succeeded in rescuing herself. She's pretty good at escape jutsu and Suiton. I didn't expect that since she didn't even try to resist being captured, but I guess she was saving her strength for opponents more her level. Smart girl. Seems she's pretty weak against genjutsu though." He chuckled, "And get this, when we stepped in to stop them, Itachi told them she was his fiancé!"

"I did what was necessary to complete the mission." Itachi remarked flatly, "If I hadn't said that, they might have attempted the same thing again."

"Itachi is correct." Konan replied, "Without a considerable reason to stay away from the girl, those men would've just hired somebody else to do the same thing."

"Was it really necessary to concern ourselves with that?" Kakuzu asked in annoyance.

Konan shifted her gaze to him, "As a woman, I can't condone enabling a grown man to force a teenaged girl to marry him."

"But isn't there a chance that this will cause more trouble than its worth?" Sasori asked, "If word gets out that Uchiha Itachi has a lover, well, there are those who would try to use that to their advantage."

"Being engaged or married to somebody doesn't necessarily indicate an emotional attachment." Itachi replied, "The man who was targeting her tonight certainly has none."

"Exactly." Pain remarked, "There are many men in the world who view their wives as possessions."

"And who in the world would believe that 'The Clan-Killer Itachi' was emotionally attached to a woman anyway?" Hidan asked lightly.

"He is still a guy though, yeah?" Deidara pointed out, "Even if he doesn't care about a girl, that doesn't mean he wouldn't wanna have fun with one, hm!" Itachi groaned inwardly. That was _not_ what he had been trying to imply.

"Itachi, do what you feel is necessary to make the Sendō believe your claim was true." Konan instructed, "Now that they've been told this, we need to make sure they understand that crossing the Akatsuki would not be in their best interest."

"Understood."

Itachi opened his eyes as the meeting ended. This time, he was sleeping in one of the unoccupied rooms of Amai's home. He wasn't running a fever this time, so there was no reason to share a room, and neither was about to suggest it for any other reason. He thought over the events of that night.

Amai's declaration of love... his declaring to the Sendō that she was his fiancé... He closed his eyes in thought. They were both only sixteen, still only teenagers, despite the otherwise very adult lives they led. To get married right now was absurd, and by the time they really were adults... well... who knew if he would even still be alive? Then again, it was necessary to ensure that Sendō believed he wasn't just blowing smoke. He cast his gaze toward the sky through the window.

"I'll settle this tomorrow."

* * *

We're starting to get into the thick of things now. I will point out, since I forgot to before, that the name of Amai's late sister, Adzuki, is a type of bean; specifically, the type used to make bean paste in Japan. Also, what Amai says to Itachi is basically the same thing that he says to Sasuke after defeating Kabuto, but in Japanese, the wording is slightly different. If this story were written in Japanese, she would have said "Anata wo zutto aishiteru", which means the exact same thing, but is more feminine and polite than the way that Itachi says it to Sasuke. Contrary to, well, most of the characters in the Naruto series, Amai uses more polite and proper dialogue when talking to others, which is probably a habit that she formed because of her occupation. Also, Kane, in this case, means "money". It has other meanings, but that is the meaning I had in mind for the bookkeeper.


	5. The Courage to Love Somebody

Amai immediately noticed that something was abnormal when she awoke. Somebody was cooking food in her house. She then remembered that Itachi had spent the night there and quickly got up and got dressed before heading into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" She asked in confusion as she secured her braid.

"I thought I would make breakfast for you, to apologize for last night." Itachi explained from where he was standing at the stove.

"I already told you that you don't need to apologize for that." She replied.

"I know, but you're always cooking for me. I felt like I ought to cook for you this time."

Amai sighed in amusement and shook her head, and then noticed Itachi smiling lightly. "You seem like you enjoy this."

"Cooking like this brings back some good memories, even if they are a little painful." He admitted.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"When I was a kid, my parents went to visit my grandparents and left me and Sasuke at home overnight. It was the first time in a while that I had gotten to spend time with him, so I cooked a huge feast for us. Sasuke stuffed himself silly."

Amai laughed sweetly, "Skillful shinobi and talented cook. Is there anything you can't do?"

"I can't stand to lose." He remarked placidly, causing her to burst out laughing again. Itachi didn't want to admit it, but he loved it when she laughed.

In many ways, Amai was different from Izumi—she wasn't nearly as moody or difficult to figure out—but her laughter held that same pure innocence that Izumi's had. He liked those things about her; the things that were the same and the things that were different too.

**The park from my memories, and the rusty, old city bridge**

**And the sound of your singing voice, I'd completely forgotten**

"Amai-san..." Itachi began when they had finished eating.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what I said last night." He told her before clarifying, "When I stepped in to stop the Sendō."

"When you...?" Amai turned bright red as she realized what he was referring to before she cleared her throat. "What about it?"

"I'm concerned that the Sendō will realize that I was lying... unless certain measures are taken."

"Certain measures...?"

Itachi sighed awkwardly, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them, "Unless we make it so it isn't a lie." Amai's face turned even redder than before, but when she didn't reply, Itachi kept going, "We're both only sixteen. Getting married right now would not be ideal. And given my health... I cannot guarantee that it is a promise that I would be able to keep, but... In order to keep you safe..." Amai looked down, her face still red. "Amai-san?" Itachi prompted.

"...Do you love me?" She asked hesitantly. Itachi blinked in confusion, so she continued, "You already know how I feel about you, but... Itachi-san, I don't want to force you into an uncomfortable position..."

Itachi sighed softly, looking down at his tea as he contemplated the right words to use in his answer. "...Yes, I believe I do... I will admit that... it wasn't something that I wanted... you see, I had once been in love with a girl from my clan, but then..."

Amai nodded in understanding. "You were scared. You didn't want the past to repeat itself. You still don't."

Itachi nodded in confirmation. "But even so, before I realized it, I was in love with you. You remind me a little of her, and of my mother, but you're also different in a way that makes it easy to separate you from them. You're also similar to me, but also different. In your own way, you understand the pain I've endured. Yet unlike me, you are powerless to help yourself."

"I don't think that's actually true." Amai stated, and when Itachi looked up at her in confusion, she began to explain, "You are also in a situation that you cannot change on your own. If you could go back and do it all over again, if you could change the way things were and are, you would."

"Then will you accept?" Itachi asked, pulling out simple ring with an onyx and a pearl.

Amai sniffled and nodded, not bothering to ask when he'd had time to obtain such a thing. "I will."

**If we don't love anybody then there is nothing that can be lost**

**Even though we understand in our heads, we can't help our loneliness**

The next two years passed relatively peacefully. Well, as peaceful as things ever could be for a shinobi who was working undercover as a terrorist/mercenary and his fiancé who had enemies amongst the local crime family. Itachi continued making his monthly trips to the tea shop and staying the night if he was fatigued from a mission in the area, though he usually slept in a separate room from Amai. The only exception was if his illness began to trouble him while he was there, in which case, Amai would take care of him until he recovered. This happened more than a few times. During the times that he was needing more Kotaro, Itachi would stay at the shrine near Rengyōdō, since their engagement was technically a secret. That being said, during this time, the two of them fell into a comfortable rhythm. It was right after Amai's eighteenth birthday that things began to change.

Amai was in the village marketplace to purchase ingredients for her store, unaware that she was being watched. Her store was closed for the purpose of her shopping, and it was one of those days where she had worn her hair in a bun on the side, instead of allowing her braid to hang down her back. As a result, the collar of her kimono was visible.

When she finished her shopping, she returned to her store, walking in through the front and immediately heading for the kitchen to put away the ingredients she had bought. However, upon hearing the door to her shop open and sensing chakra that was very much not Itachi's, she turned around quickly, only to find Sendō Kane standing there. She narrowed her eyes at the man with guarded anger.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in? The door was locked!"

Kane chuckled, "I think you forgot that when your parents first borrowed money from my clan, we required them to give us a key to this place." He held up the key in question, and then clasped it in his hand, "You should've changed your locks, Amai."

"That doesn't answer my first question." She said with a glare.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're still wearing the collar of your kimono in a v-shape." Kane told her, "But haven't you been engaged to Uchiha Itachi for two years now?" He stepped towards the young woman, "I wonder... does he really plan on marrying you? Or was that simply a bluff?"

"My engagement to Itachi-kun is real, but we both agreed to wait for a reason!" Amai exclaimed in frustration, "I only just turned eighteen!"

"Ohh...? So you were waiting until you were a bit older, huh?" Kane smirked at her, "You should've just gotten married, because now, he'll never have a chance to claim you." Before Amai could ask what he meant, she was caught in a genjutsu. She noticed this immediately and tried to free herself, but was unable to do so. It seemed Kane was capable of casting extremely strong genjutsu, considering he lacked any kind of visual prowess. Within her mind, her wrists and ankles were shackled in chains, which then forced her to walk into her bedroom, as if she were a puppet on a string. This continued as she unwillingly pulled out her futon and then removed her kimono, folding it neatly before lying down, though she was still wearing her juuban.

Kane laughed cruelly at her as he climbed on top of her. "Uchiha Itachi really shouldn't have waited to marry you. Now I'm going to claim you myself. When we're done here, we'll get married immediately. Even if that man comes for you later, he'll probably lose interest in you once he finds out you were stolen."

Amai naturally had no ability to protest or deny his claim, but to her great relief, Itachi suddenly burst into her bedroom. She became relatively unaware of what happened after this, due to Kane losing control of his genjutsu, but within moments, her vision cleared and she found Itachi leaning over her with concern. "Itachi... kun..." She said in a daze before suddenly coming back to her senses completely and throwing her arms around him, trembling in terror. "Thank goodness you came... I... I tried to shake off his genjutsu, but..."

"It's all right. You're safe now." Itachi reassured her.

"Kane?" Amai asked, leaving the actual question unsaid.

"He's dead." Itachi replied, "I wasn't going to risk him coming near you again. I used a genjutsu, to avoid spilling blood in here."

Amai nodded, "That's probably the most fitting of deaths for him anyway, considering the way he liked to use it himself." Itachi nodded slowly. "What's wrong?" Amai asked, sensing that something was troubling him.

"I'll tell you later." Itachi replied. "I'm going to dispose of that man's body. That will give you time to put your kimono back on."

Amai blushed, remembering that she was only wearing her juuban, and while it was not a revealing garment, she still felt as though she were only in her underwear somehow. She nodded numbly to Itachi and began dressing as quickly as she could once he had left with Kane's body.

When Itachi returned, he found Amai in the kitchen. She was attempting to make some tea for herself, but her hands were trembling, so Itachi took the teapot to prevent her from burning herself. "Let me."

"Thanks." Amai said quietly, moving to sit down at her table.

"Are you all right?" Itachi asked as he prepared tea for them both.

"Yes." She managed, "I wasn't expecting you to come today, but thank goodness you did. I thought for sure..."

"What on earth gave him the idea to try... that?" Itachi asked, a slight edge of annoyance in his voice.

"When I was shopping for ingredients, it seems that he noticed that I've still been wearing the collar of my kimono in a V. Apparently, he thought that if he could 'steal' me from you before we were married, you would lose interest in me."

"That's because he assumed that I'm marrying you for a selfish reason." Itachi replied, trying to hide his annoyance, but Amai knew better.

"Not that I wish to upset you, but isn't that generally what you want people to think? I mean, I know the truth of course, but..."

Itachi sighed as he set the teacup in front of Amai, "No. It's not what I want them to think, but it is what I need them to think. For your sake, I would rather they understand that I'm not interested in you for purely... biological reasons."

"Mm." Amai replied, nodding in understanding, "Why don't you tell me what's really troubling you though? You've been agitated since you got here, and I don't think it's just because of Kane. You usually calm down once you've dealt with a problem, which means it's something that can't be easily fixed."

Itachi sighed, "Somehow, I feel as though you've always been good at seeing right through me."

"It's because I'm actively paying attention. So? What is it? Was your last mission really hard on you or something?"

"You could say that."

"Itachi-kun..."

He sighed again. "You're not going to let this drop, are you?"

"No, I'm not. You have a bad habit of trying to carry your burdens alone. That doesn't do your health any favors." Amai said firmly.

Sighing once again in resignation, Itachi sat down across from her with his own cup of tea. "The Third Hokage died during a recent attack on Konoha, so I went there with Kisame under the pretense of capturing the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto. My true purpose was to make sure that Danzō knew that I was still alive, to ensure Sasuke's safety now that the Third is no longer there to look after him. After that, Kisame and I tracked down Naruto-kun in a town not too far from Konoha. After all, I had to keep up the pretense of being after Naruto-kun. That said, we found that he was being guarded by Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. The simplest way to avoid a confrontation was to distract Lord Jiraiya. He's known for being a womanizer, so I used genjutsu on a young woman so that he would leave Naruto-kun on his own for a bit. However, when we had approached Naruto-kun at the inn where he was staying, Sasuke showed up. It seems that he had heard about my visit to Konoha and had tracked me down with the intent of getting revenge on me. I couldn't let him have that. Not right now. At his current level, Sasuke would be in grave danger if I were to die now. However, to prevent him from attempting a second attack, I... I had to... break his wrist..." At this point, Itachi's grip on the cup had gotten so tight that Amai feared it might break. Hoping to ease his distress, she moved to sit next to him, gently coaxing him to lay his head on her shoulder so that she could stroke his bangs.

"Go on." She urged gently.

"Around that time, Lord Jiraiya showed up, which I was honestly glad for, because Kisame was about to start severing Naruto-kun's limbs. It seems that he had figured out that the young woman was under a genjutsu and had released her before coming to protect Naruto-kun. He said that using the woman had been a cowardly tactic. Then Sasuke tried to attack me even with the broken wrist, so I had to subdue him with Tsukuyomi. Lord Jiraiya attempted to use a summoning jutsu to end us, so I had to use Amaterasu to create an escape route."

"Are your eyes okay?" Amai asked with worry.

Itachi nodded, "I went to see Shinjiro in Yugakure immediately after that."

"Usually confiding in him helps to ground you, so why is this time different?" Amai asked.

"After I had rested in Yugakure, I wanted to see you. When I arrived here and found Kane attempting to use genjutsu to take advantage of you, I couldn't help but wonder if Lord Jiraiya was right." He admitted, "Was it cowardly of me to use genjutsu to have that woman distract him? Am I no better than Kane?"

Amai moved so that Itachi's head was on her lap instead and continued running her fingers through his bangs. "...I won't say that it was right, but... I wouldn't call it cowardice either. You didn't do it because you were afraid of Lord Jiraiya. You were just trying to avoid having to use violence, which is more than I can say for Kisame. The woman in question probably didn't appreciate it, but she also has no knowledge of your true reasons. Besides, for a strategy like that, you would've chosen a woman who already seemed to be... well... lacking in modesty, which makes me question her sense of dignity to begin with. Naturally, I don't think that men have the right to do whatever they want to such women, but a woman who knows her true worth doesn't waste her time doing things that she knows will make men desire only her body." Amai continued stroking his hair in an attempt to soothe him a bit as she continued, "In your situation, the line between right and wrong is blurry and difficult to see. You find yourself doing what you believe is necessary to protect your brother, your village, and even the shinobi world itself. You aren't really able to dwell on whether what you are doing is right. You'll torture yourself more if you do. However, this much I believe is true: whatever may happen, your true intentions are pure, and that's what matters the most."

Itachi sighed softly, a dry smile on his lips as he closed his eyes, "You're so simplistic. Things like this rarely have such easy answers."

"No, they don't." Amai acknowledged, "But as I said, you'll only torture yourself trying to think about this. You'll go insane, and personally, I've think you've killed yourself on the inside enough already."

"Mm..." Itachi acknowledged with a nod, "When I'm working, I sometimes forget who I really am and what my purpose is in all of this, but when I'm with you, I'm able to remember."

"It's not just me." Amai replied with a sweet smile, "Reishi-kun and Kina-chan, Shinjiro-san, Aiko-chan and her mother... We're all here for you, ready to remind you of who Uchiha Itachi really is. The burdens you bear are much too big for you to carry alone, but we're happy to support you in any way that we can, even if we can only carry a little of the load."

"I suppose you're right." Itachi said as he looked up at her, "I tried to carry the fate of the Uchiha and the village on my own, and look how that ended. Maybe if I had reached out and ask others for help, it would've been different."

"There's no sense in dwelling on those regrets." Amai told him, "The same can be said for me. I tried to carry my family's problems on my own, and I lost them because of that. If I had reached out for help, maybe they'd still be here." She shook her head, closing her eyes and smiling wryly, "I can't dwell on that though. If we spend too much time thinking on our regrets, we're only hurting ourselves. The only thing we can do... is learn from our mistakes to avoid repeating them."

"Mm." He acknowledged again, "That reminds me. There's something that I wanted to take care of."

"What is it?" Amai asked as Itachi sat back up and looked at her.

"After what you told me about Kane's reason for attacking you, I've come to feel that we shouldn't put off our marriage any longer." He explained, "I've still got a few years left, and it will be some time before Sasuke is ready to face me. The only question is, will you be able to handle it?"

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"At the very most, I'll probably only be able to be with you for three or four years," Itachi explained, "And I won't even be able to be with you all that frequently. However, I can't deny the knowledge that when I die, you will face the pain of losing another loved one. I don't want to put you through that if you don't believe you can handle that outcome."

"In other words, you're asking if I have the courage to love you?" The young woman asked, and when Itachi nodded, she gave him a small, sad smile while placing a hand on his cheek. "Whether we do this or not, I will still love you. Therefore, I would rather make the most of what little time we have together than worry about a pain that I will face either way. When your time comes, I don't want to have any regrets."

Itachi smiled softly and took Amai's hand in his before kissing it gently. "I'll give you some time to get ready."

**Although I understand it's just a fleeting dream**

**I want to be living with you, my dear**

**And even though I know how painful loss can be**

**I want to be loving you, my dear**

**Until the very end of time...**

* * *

Okay, so I feel like I should start with some cultural notes. In Japan, when a woman under thirty is unmarried, she wears the collar of her kimono in the shape of a V. However, if she is married or over thirty, she wears it in a softer U-Shape. Thus, Kane was able to tell by looking at Amai's collar that she was not yet married to Itachi. Normally, her braid blocks it from view, but her hairstyle that day allowed it to be seen. Also, a juuban is thinner, lighter kimono worn beneath a standard kimono. While it could theoretically serve as clothing by itself, nobody goes around in just a juuban. Thus, Amai, who is very modest, felt embarrassed about Itachi seeing her in only her juuban, even though it's not as if she wasn't wearing anything underneath it and it's not like he saw anything important with her dressed like that.

At any rate, the type in bold is, once again, a poetic English translation of part of Sayonara Moon Town by ScenarioArt.


	6. The Loss of Love

"Amai." Itachi began when they had returned to her home following their elopement.

"Yes Itachi-kun?" Amai asked, turning to look at him from her dresser, having been about to remove the modest jewelry that she'd been adorned before they left.

"For the time being, I think we should take precautions." Itachi told her. Amai's brow furrowed in slight confusion.

"Precautions?" She asked before her eyes widened in understanding, "Oh! You mean to prevent..."

"Yes." Itachi said with a nod as he folded his cloak. "If you want to try later on... well... we can discuss that at a later date, but for the time being, I don't think it is safe. Your body is still developing, especially there."

"Mm." She acknowledged with a nod, "Not that you can tell when I'm wearing my kimono, but I've noticed recently that my hips have been getting wider. I asked a doctor about it and he assured me that it was normal for my age, and that it should conclude around my twentieth birthday."

"Exactly." Itachi said with a nod, "That's why we need to avoid it for now."

"I've already thought of that." She told him, "When the doctor told me the reason, I asked for a contraceptive. I've been taking it for a month now, so there shouldn't be any issues." Itachi nodded and then watched as his new wife reached up to remove her hairpin.

"You were wearing that hairpin when I got up the morning of my first stay here." He remarked. He had noticed it then, but hadn't had time to ask.

"Oh, yeah..." Amai looked a bit nostalgic as she looked at the simple jade butterfly she'd been wearing. "It was my mother's. So are these earrings. They're among the only heirlooms I have." She set the hairpin in its case and then proceeded to remove her earrings. "I never wore it when I owed money to the Sendo because they would've tried to confiscate it. I mean, I was wearing it that morning, but if you recall, I removed it before answering the door."

"Yeah..." Itachi walked over to Amai as she finished putting away her earrings and wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head down and kissing her ear, causing her to giggle with a light blush. He reached up and gently tugged at her bun to undo it. "I've wanted to see you with your hair down for a really long time..." He admitted.

"My hair?" She replied in amusement, "Why are you so fascinated by that, of all things?"

"Because I'm certain that it looks far more lovely when it's allowed to flow freely." He replied while running his fingers through it to undo her braid.

Amai laughed, "I can't wear it like that when I'm working!"

"But you're not working right now." He remarked, undoing the last of the braid and then gently turning Amai around to face him, looking at her as her hair fell around her shoulders. "I knew it."

She smiled at him with amusement and slight inquisition, "Can you even see me right now?"

"Well enough. I'm not blind just yet." He replied, leaning down to kiss his bride.

"Mm..." Amai sighed softly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. Itachi wrapped his arms around her and began to undo her obi.

甘い

The following morning, Amai awoke and quickly realized by the smell of the air that Itachi was cooking breakfast. With an amused smile, she got up and dressed in some simple clothing before walking into the kitchen, her long, ebony brown hair still flowing loosely. "Hey." She said softly as she entered the room, causing Itachi to turn to her, the faintest of smiles on his lips.

"You're awake." He said, having not been sure when she would awaken. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be all right." She assured him before tilting her head with an amused smile. "Isn't cooking breakfast my job?"

"I think you do enough cooking for everybody else." Itachi admitted, "You've spent your whole life taking care of others. I want to be the one to take care of you."

"This coming from the man trying to shoulder the fate of his clan, his village, and the entire shinobi world on his own." Amai returned, leaning her head on her palm as she sat down, still smiling with amusement.

Itachi laughed lightly. "Point taken."

The days following their elopement passed by in a blur, at least from Amai's point-of-view. Itachi visited as often as he realistically could. There were days when his illness was troubling him, but on the days they weren't, they were content just to be together. Itachi came to insist upon assisting Amai with everything from making sweets for the store to doing the housework, claiming that he wanted to enjoy what little normalcy he could with her. Amai couldn't bring herself to deny him in that regard. He also supported her financially, since he made more on his missions than he really needed anyway. He told her to just use it in whatever way she felt best, but Amai was a practical girl, so she simply set it back for the time when she knew Itachi would no longer be with her. She tried not to dwell on when that time would come. Still, when her twentieth birthday came along, Itachi was thoroughly surprised by her request.

"Itachi-kun?"

"Yes Amai?" Itachi replied while carefully cutting the cake that he'd insisted on making for her that day.

Amai watched him carefully, waiting until she was sure he wasn't going to cut himself before she blurted out, "I want a baby."

Itachi froze and then looked up at her, even though his eyesight was nearly gone by this point, "What?"

"I want to have a baby." Amai reiterated. "It should be safe now that I am twenty, right?"

"In theory..." Itachi replied carefully as he returned to the cake, "But why? You know that... that I won't be able to..." Neither of them had openly acknowledged it, but they both knew that the days when Itachi would show up with a fever had been slowly increasing.

"That's exactly why." Amai told him. "I want to have a child with you, so that even when... even when you're gone... A part of you will still be with me. No one could take your place... but a simple keepsake is not enough... If we have a baby... I will at least have half of you with me. And whenever I look at him or her, I will see you."

Itachi sighed quietly, "Amai, I understand your wish, but... If we have a child... It's highly possible that you would never be able to remarry, and though I don't wish to think about it, when I am gone, I want you to have the chance to find love again."

"The only love I will need will be the love for our child." She told him firmly, "I don't want to ever be able to forget you." She adopted a pleading look at this point, "Please, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi sighed quietly again, realizing that this was not an argument he was going to win, "Very well. However, promise me that if you manage to conceive, you will leave this village. Staying here would place the both of you in danger."

"Where should I go?" Amai asked earnestly.

"Go to Yugakure and find Mayonaka Shinjiro." He answered, "He's the one who's been treating me this whole time. He's not an ordinary doctor. His own visual prowess gives him a particular edge in the field of obstetrics, and he's also an expert in Kekkei Genkai, as well as a skilled ophthalmologist. If I can, I'll escort you there, but if you come to learn you are pregnant after I'm gone, you'll have to go on your own." He placed a slice of cake in front of her, "At the very least, you should be able to defend yourself from bandits by now."

"Right."

甘い

Amai stopped taking the contraceptive after that, but after a full year had passed, she still hadn't gotten pregnant. It was at that point that she began looking into remedies to improve her fertility, even though Itachi said that was pointless, since the problem was more likely caused by his illness and Reishi had freaked out when she had asked.

_"What do you want something like that for?! You're not married!" The poor boy, now a teenager, still did not know that Amai had married Itachi, since they had told absolutely nobody and he was still spending his nights at the Kodon Shrine when in need of Kotaro._

_"Please Reishi-kun." Amai pleaded, "You're the only pharmacist I can trust."_

_"I can't give you something you have no need for!"_

In the end, it was only by traveling to the next village over that she finally obtained what she wanted. _"If this doesn't get you pregnant, then that man of yours is hopeless!"_ The old woman at the apothecary had claimed.

One evening, Itachi was helping Amai to wash the dishes after hours when he noticed that she was rather listless. "What's wrong?" He asked while drying a plate that she had handed him.

"Last night was the fifth time in a row that you've come home with a fever..." Amai said quietly, finally acknowledging what they'd been avoiding for nearly three years. "And you were coughing horribly and... I saw the blood, Itachi-kun..."

Itachi sighed, setting the dish aside and moving to stand behind Amai, placing his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her. "You've always known that this time would come..."

Amai's shoulders began to shake beneath his hands as she began to cry, "I know! But I still don't want it to!" She set down the dish she'd been holding and leaned on the sink to brace herself, "I want to keep going like this, forever and ever! Cooking with you, cleaning with you... just this simplicity is enough!"

**The shape of things are beginning to disappear**

Itachi wrapped his arms around her gently, leaning his head down toward hers, "I know. If I could, I would keep living this idyllic life with you forever. I mean, naturally, I would like Sasuke to be a part of it too, but... If I could choose... this life as a shinobi... I would gladly leave it behind to spend everyday with you. To spend our days in peace, just running this shop, would be like a dream." He lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes sadly, "But we both know it's a dream we can't obtain. Chaos follows me wherever I go, which means that soon... I will have to draw it away from you." He sighed softly as he felt something, "I have to go. They're calling me."

"All right..." Amai resumed her work on the dishes as Itachi went into their bedroom to attend a long distance meeting with the Akatsuki. When she had finished, she dried her hands and headed back into their bedroom to find Itachi sitting on the futon, looking conflicted. "What's wrong?" She asked quietly while sitting down in front of her husband. Itachi looked up at her with regret in his eyes.

"My brother killed Orochimaru, and now he is out looking for me." He told her, "I'll have to leave first thing in the morning."

"Of course..." Amai said slowly, "If you waited here for him, the whole village would be in danger." To say nothing of herself.

**Things in this city are just a little hectic**

Itachi nodded, slowly reaching up and cupping Amai's cheek with his hand, "You know that... when I leave tomorrow, I'll never return to this place. It will be the last time I ever see you."

Amai nodded, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks, "I know... And I know that... that this is the way you want it and that you don't have much longer anyway, but...! But I wish you could stay here with me!"

"My biggest regret is that I can't stay here with you." Itachi admitted as he leaned his forehead against hers, "But it has to be this way... for Sasuke's sake... and for yours as well..." He gently tilted her head up, kissing her deeply.

**There is somewhere that we can both meet again!**

When he pulled away, Amai looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." Itachi replied before kissing her again. What followed was likely the most passionate night they had ever shared.

**"The moon is pretty, isn't it?"**

At dawn the next morning, Itachi stood at the front door, facing Amai. No one else in the village was even awake yet, and Amai was wearing only a nightgown and a haori draped over her shoulders. She hadn't even braided her hair.

Uncertain what to say, Itachi leaned forward and kissed his wife one last time. She nodded to him with tears in her eyes and he left. As she watched his form disappear into the morning mist, she placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her cry and fell to her knees.

甘い

Nearly twelve weeks later, Amai sat in the kitchen, idly chewing on a piece of cabbage as she pondered something. This was the sixth week in a row that she'd thrown up for the first hour or two after awakening and then was fine. Since she worked in the food business, she couldn't risk the health of her customers, but after the first week straight, she'd decided it was not related to any illness and had resorted to just opening a little later in the day. The question was, why was she ill every morning? And why on earth had she eaten one head of cabbage a day since this began? Not to mention that she'd been eating konbu onigiri with every meal, and she didn't even _like_ seaweed. She normally only had cravings like this when...

She stopped short, her train of thought coming to a screeching halt before switching tracks. When was the last time she'd had her period? She shrugged to herself. It was probably just stress. She'd been kind of a wreck ever since Itachi had gone to meet his end. It didn't help that Sasuke himself was now in the village. Stress and anxiety were perfectly legitimate causes for nausea and missed periods and she was probably craving Itachi's favorite foods because she missed him.

甘い

Later that day, Amai stood in the mausoleum before Itachi and Adzuki's graves. She was the only one that even knew he was buried here, aside from Uchiha Madara and Zetsu, who had been the ones to do so. The tombstone wasn't even really marked, but she knew it was the grave next to Adzuki's.

The young woman glanced around to ensure that she was truly alone and then sighed softly. "Itachi-kun... Adzuki... What should I do? Is there even any reason for me to stay in this place now?" She blinked back her tears as she stared at the two graves.

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

Amai's head snapped up and she looked around quickly. What was that? It had sounded like... someone singing... like a child... like Adzuki? She shook her head. That was impossible. Adzuki has been gone for nearly ten years.

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

There it was again. Amai looked around, propping her arms in front of her nervously. She couldn't discern where the sound was coming from.

_Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah..._

"I can hear you..." Amai sang softly in reply, "...But I won't. Some look for trouble... while others don't. There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day... and ignore your whispers, which I _wish_ would go away. Oh-oh-oh-oh..."

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

_"_Oh, oh..."

_Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah..._

"You're not a voice..." Amai sang quietly as she ran her hands over her braid nervously before placing a hand to her temple, "You're just a ringing in my ear. And if I heard you—which I don't—" She pulled her long braid over her shoulder as she insisted this, "then I'm spoken for, I fear." She looked down at the two graves in front of her. "Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls." She looked up with a furrowed brow, "I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls." She turned and began marching away as she continued. "I have had my adventure. I _don't _need something new! I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you..." She looked beyond the village as she reached the crest of a hill, "...Into the unknown... Into the unknown... Into the unknown...!" When the voice didn't seem to reply, Amai sighed, though she wasn't sure whether or not it was with relief as she massaged her forehead. "Great. Now I'm hearing singing where there is none. I am clearly losing my mind." She turned and began walking, heading in the direction of Rengyoudou.

She chewed on her lip in thought as she walked. She'd said she was spoken for, but really, what exactly did she have to stay here for? Her husband and sister's graves? Deep down, she knew neither of them would want that. What then? What exactly was she risking if she left? She shook her head. She knew what she was scared of. She was afraid of getting hurt again. She had no great love for Howling Wolf Village, but here, at least, she knew what to expect. She had to do something about her frame of mind first though. Seeing that she had arrived at her destination, she rushed forward and knocked on the door frantically. "Reishi-kun!"

The teenager answered the door with a bewildered expression. "Amai-neesan? What's the matter?" He asked in confusion as she rushed inside and shut the door.

"I think I'm losing my mind." Amai told him, "I was at the mausoleum and I could _swear_ I heard somebody singing."

"That doesn't mean you're losing your mind." Reishi said gently, "You _just _said that you were in the mausoleum, so maybe you were hearing a ghost."

"A ghost? _Now?" _She asked with a raised brow.

"There have been a lot of deaths lately." Reishi pointed out.

Amai sighed at that, "Kina-chan is starting to lose control, isn't he?"

"I'm taking care of it." Reishi assured her.

"People have _died._"

"Mostly addicts." He pointed out before wincing, "Sorry. That was thoughtless of me."

"It's all right." Amai assured him, "But regardless of whether I'm cracked or hearing a ghost, I _am_ stressed, Reishi-kun. Is there anything you could give me?"

"People who think they might be cracked rarely are." Reishi replied before eyeing her carefully. "No offense, but have you gained a little weight?"

"Huh?" Amai looked down at her slightly larger than usual stomach, "Oh, I've been eating a lot of konbu onigiri lately, so maybe I'm a bit constipated?"

"But you hate konbu onigiri."

"I know, but I'm sad about Itachi, so I've been eating things that remind me of him."

"I didn't know you were that close."

Amai blushed, realizing that she might've said too much, and quickly tried to cover with: "He _saved _me from a lifetime of enslavement to the Sendou."

"Fair enough." Reishi nodded. "The only thing I can give you for now is some herbal tea to take the edge off of your anxiety. Try going to a doctor when you get a chance."

Amai snorted as she accepted the tea mixture. "Don't count on it."

甘い

Later that night, Amai was trying to sleep when it came again.

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

Sighing in frustration, she sat up and walked over to the pitcher full of the tea Reishi had given her. "What do you want?" She asked as she picked up the pitcher and began pouring some tea, "Cause you've been keeping me awake." She set the pitcher down. "Are you here to distract me, so I make a big mistake?" She looked at her reflection within the cup of tea. "Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me? Who knows deep down, I'm not where I'm meant to... be?" A single tear fell and she quickly gulped down the tea before leaving her room to go to the kitchen. "Every day's a little harder, as I feel your power grow..." She walked briskly through the cafe, "Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go..." She threw the door to her restaurant open, only for her eyes to widen in surprise as she saw the town in complete chaos due to Kina's seal having broken. She stared at the scene mutely for a moment, wondering if she should do something to help, but upon seeing Itachi's brother Sasuke engaging Rouen, she decided she didn't care about this town that she hated—Sasuke could handle Rouen and she herself was in no danger—and slammed the door shut and locked it. "Let it go...! Let it go... Can't hold it back anymore. Let it go...! Let it go... Turn away and slam the door!" She sank to the ground, her back against the door, "I don't care what they're going to say... let the storm rage on..."

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

It was in that moment that Amai realized that the voice she was hearing was her own. The voice of her younger self when she had first fallen in love with Itachi. She rushed out the back way and began jumping across the rooftops, not even noticing that Rouen had been sealed. "Ah, ah, ah, ah...!"

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

_Ah, ah, ah, ah..._

_"Ah, ah, ah-ah! Ah, ah, ah-ah! Ah, ah, ah-ah-ah...!"_

Amai took notice of the Shogun fireflies that were common in this land and ran through them, remembering her desperation to stop Itachi on that day three months ago. "Where are you going? Don't leave me alone! How do I... follow you..." She stopped as she reached the edge of a cliff, "Into the unknown...?!"

_Ah, ah, ah...!!!_

A wave of relief washed over Amai. She understood now. She didn't want to stay here. She wanted to journey into the unknown world that Itachi had been a part of. Her heart had been trying to tell her this all along. With that knowledge in mind, she thought back to what Reishi had told her and absently placed a hand on her stomach. She didn't know how, considering not even he and Kina had known the depth of her relationship with Itachi, but he had suspected that there was something more to her sudden craving for konbu onigiri, and now, she did too.

甘い

"Huh? Amai-neesan?" Kina asked as Amai was leaving her store three days later. She turned and looked at him, only to see that he was accompanied by Sasuke.

"Kina-chan!" She said in surprise.

Kina pouted, "I'm not a little kid anymore..."

She laughed sweetly, "Sorry, it's just a habit. Who is this?" As if she didn't already know.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha... Are you Itachi's younger brother?" Amai asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"You knew my brother too?" Sasuke asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Amai said, looking up at the sign of her store, "You see, your brother had a sweet tooth, so he often visited my store during the afternoons when he would stay in the village while waiting on his Kotaro."

Suddenly Kina noticed the bag that Amai was carrying, "Amai-neesan, are you going somewhere?"

Amai blinked in surprise and looked down at her bag, "Ah, yes. I'm going to the next village over to see a doctor."

"The next town over?" Kina asked in confusion, "But there are doctors here."

"I refuse to do business with any of the doctors in this village." Amai said firmly, "And since Reishi-kun is gone..." Amai didn't believe, or rather, she knew, that Kina's brother hadn't died because Roen had been sealed within him, but rather because he had sealed Roen back into Kodon Shrine two days prior.

"But... Amai-neesan, you're not very strong... something bad could happen if you go all alone." Kina remarked before his eyes lit up and he looked at Sasuke, "I know! Why don't you go with her, Sasuke?"

"Huh? Why should I?" Sasuke asked in slight annoyance.

"I don't wish to put you out, Sasuke-kun, but I would feel much safer if you came." Amai told him "I'll gladly treat you to lunch if you want. Besides..." she looked away, appearing a bit shy, "I would like to get to know you a little. Itachi used to talk about you all the time."

This, apparently had something of an effect, because Sasuke agreed and went with the young woman.

甘い

"I imagine you've come here seeking information about your brother." Amai said as they walked down the road after leaving her village, "Somebody told you the truth, and you wanted to confirm it, right?"

"How did you figure that out?" Sasuke asked.

"Itachi told me that would probably be the case if you ever came here." Amai admitted, "He was a kind man, your brother. He often looked out for me when I was in trouble, since I didn't have anyone for so long." She sighed, "And now I don't have anyone again..."

"What do you mean?" Her brother-in-law asked her, and Amai quickly realized her slip-of-the-tongue.

"I... Well, nobody in the village knew about this, but... I was married until recently." She explained, "My husband was a shinobi who was on a long-term mission, away from his village, so... there was no reason for me to move there. However, considering the way that things are in my village, it was best if nobody knew that I was married to a shinobi. He was absent more often than not, only able to come when his work would bring him near here. He joined enemy ranks in order to serve his own village as a spy, so... his missions would bring him this direction from time to time. I would've loved to have moved to his village with him someday, but... that dream was not to be. My husband died recently in the line of duty, and I have no other family, so..."

Contrary to her husband, Amai completely lacked the ability to lie, so instead, she had told the truth while phrasing things in a way that she hoped would misdirect Sasuke, since she wasn't sure how he would react if he knew.

"What will you do now?" Sasuke asked, apparently not noticing the similarities between the husband she had described and his own brother.

"That depends on the results of this visit to the doctor." Amai answered.

"What do you mean?"

"My husband and I were trying to have a baby before he died." She explained, "Now I think I might be pregnant. If I am, then I will be leaving Howling Wolf Village. I promised him that I would. My husband was worried that I would be in danger there if I became pregnant, since nobody even knew that I was married." She snorted in annoyance, "Honestly, the village is filled with addicts and drug dealers. A young, adult woman, whom they've left to fend for herself since she was twelve, getting pregnant out of wedlock should be the _least_ of their concerns. They're all idiots..." She muttered remorsefully. "Always concerning themselves with things that aren't their concern and not bothering with the things that should be. Kina-chan and his brother Reishi-kun were the only ones I trusted."

"Hn." Sasuke acknowledged, not able to deny the truth in her musings, "You said that Itachi looked out for you when you didn't have anyone?" He asked.

"Oh, that's right." Amai replied, remembering her original point, "At one time, I was under the thumb of the Sendō. When my parents died, I was left with a large debt. The Sendō used that as a means to harass me. Your brother protected me from them. He even used his earnings from his missions in the Akatsuki to pay off my debt." She smiled softly with nostalgia, "If it weren't for him, I would never have had a chance at happiness, and the child I think I might be carrying would never exist." Realizing that she'd slipped up again, she quickly added, "I mean, even getting married wouldn't have been an option if not for Itachi."

Sasuke nodded, his face thoughtful. "Why do you think he did it? I mean, no offense, but why do you think he went so far for a waitress at a cafe?"

Amai considered how to answer that, knowing that she couldn't tell her younger brother the full depth of her connection with Itachi. "Maybe... it gave him a sense of redemption." She speculated, "Maybe he hoped that helping those in need when he could would ease his guilt about what happened." That obviously was not the full truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Amai had always suspected that Itachi might've thought that way, at least at first. "The fact is, that one night in Konoha broke your brother's heart. It was like he had killed himself along with the clan. He'd killed his own heart in a way." She looked up at the sky, "People often don't realize that it's much easier to forgive others than to forgive yourself. Itachi could forgive you for anything, just as you, now that you know the truth, can forgive him, but... he was never able to forgive himself. I think that was the true cause of his illness. Most people don't realize it, but... it really is possible to die from a broken heart..." Sasuke nodded, then winced in pain and rubbed his eyes with the back of his arm. "Are you all right?" Amai asked in concern.

"Yeah." Sasuke replied, "I think my Sharingan recently evolved, in response to Itachi's death." He wasn't sure just how much she knew about the Sharingan, but for some reason, he didn't feel that there was any harm in telling her this.

Amai hummed in acknowledgement. "Sometimes we think that we hate somebody, only to discover too late that deep within our hearts, we still loved them."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked wearily.

"I mentioned that I once owed a debt to the Sendo, right? My parents were addicted to Sengenzai." She explained, "Their addiction caused them to neglect my younger sister and I and left us deeply impoverished. I couldn't even find anyone to help when my sister became ill, which is why I refuse to have anything to do with the doctors in my village. At that time, I resented my parents. I thought that I hated them. When my sister died, in a fit of rage, I threw their supply of Sengenzai into the ocean to get back at them. When they jumped into the sea to retrieve it without concern for their own survival... I realized that deep down, I still loved them and didn't want to lose them, but it was already too late. I didn't really hate my parents, I just wanted them to go back to the people they used to be." When Sasuke said nothing in response to this, she continued, "I imagine that it is the same with you. Because of what happened, you thought that you hated Itachi, but that wasn't it. What you really wanted was to have your loving big brother back, for him to go back to being the person he'd once been, without knowing that he hadn't actually changed. But it wasn't until he passed away that you realized that."

"Hn." Sasuke begrudgingly acknowledged. They had just reached their destination and Amai looked at him.

"Sasuke-kun, even though your brother is gone now, do you still have somebody that you love?" The young woman asked innocently.

Sasuke's mouth tightened, his eyes flickering momentarily in thought. "No." He said flatly.

Amai sighed, not bothering to reply to that as she walked into the clinic.

She knew he was lying.

* * *

Okay, so admittedly, I am not very good at writing day-to-day life stuff for the most part, which is why the entirety of Itachi and Amai's marriage takes place in a single chapter. ;

Also, a cultural note about the English translation of Sayonara Moon Town for this chapter: "Tsuki ga kirei desu ne" translates to "The moon is pretty, isn't it?", but in Japanese culture, it is also a way of saying "I love you".

EDIT 02/02/20: I added in an extra bit about Amai's grieving and her uncertainty in the face of Itachi's death, using the AmaLee version of Into the Unknown. It's supposed to be a "Dark Elsa" version, but in Amai's case, it's more of coming to terms with the fact that she really has no attachment to her village, nor a reason to stay there anymore.


	7. Blue Bird

Amai walked out of the clinic sometime later and found Sasuke leaning up against the wall, waiting for her.

"So?" Sasuke asked, wanting to know only because he'd gone through the trouble of escorting her here in the first place.

"The results were positive." Amai told him. She smiled softly, looking down with tears in her eyes as she placed a hand on her obi, "I'm going to have a baby..."

"Why are you crying?" Sasuke asked, not particularly concerned, but just confused. Was this woman happy or sad to learn that she was with child?

Amai laughed softly and wiped her eyes, "I'm just so happy. Without knowing it, my husband managed to give me one final gift. This child will be a part of him that I will always have with me. I only wish that he could've known." She looked up with a bittersweet smile, "Anyway, let's go. I promised that I would treat you to a meal as payment for escorting me."

Sasuke nodded, pushing off the wall to stand up straight before following Amai to a nearby restaurant. "So what are you going to do now?" He asked as they both took a seat at a table.

"I'll probably stay the night here, and then be on my way." Amai replied as she scanned the menu, "My husband wanted me to go see an obstetrician in Yugakure, so that's where I'll be heading."

"Will you be all right on your own?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

She smiled softly, "I'll be fine. Contrary to what Kina-chan believes, I am not defenseless. My husband taught me ninjutsu, Suiton, and how to see through and break free of genjutsu before his death. I'm not foolish enough to camp alone outdoors either. I wouldn't even know how. I'll find a place to stay each night. It'll take longer that way, but, well, I have to consider the risk to my child after all."

Sasuke nodded in understanding before looking confused, "Then why did you need me to bring you here?"

"I told you, I wanted to get to know you, since you are Itachi's brother." Amai replied before setting her menu aside. "Would you mind doing something for me when you return to Howling Wolf Village? Burn down my shop. I've already packed everything I wanted to keep into sealing scrolls. The village can do whatever they wish with the plot, but I will _not_ have them doing as they please with the only home I've ever had. I'll send a note with you so that they know that you're not just, you know, vandalizing the town. And I'll entrust you with the deed as well. Give it to Kina-chan. He could use the money from selling the plot."

"If you insist." Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

Amai sighed softly and changed the subject, "Sasuke-kun, earlier I asked you if there was somebody you loved, and you said that there wasn't. I got the feeling from the way you replied that you consider love to be some sort of weakness, but you shouldn't."

"Why is that?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow, wondering what this woman could possibly know about strength.

Amai sighed slightly in amusement as she closed her eyes with a soft smile, "You didn't actually beat your brother, did you? There's no way that you could have. You told me earlier that your Sharingan had just recently evolved, but Itachi's already had a long time ago. Your brother was extremely powerful. I once saw him kill a man with only a look, and I have a feeling that even that wasn't the full extent of his power. If Itachi had been serious, which we both know he wasn't, even as powerful as you are now, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked in annoyance. He was already well aware that Itachi could've won the fight if he had wanted to.

"Do you know what it was that made your brother so strong?" Amai asked.

"He had the Tsukuyomi and the Amaterasu, along with the Susano'o. His immense power was only natural." Sasuke said flatly, but Amai shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. Power and strength are two different things, Sasuke-kun. Yes, your brother was very powerful, but he was also very strong. When he was four, he witnessed the horrors of warfare. From the time he was eleven years old, he had to endure severe stress from being caught right in the middle of the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konohagakure. When he was twelve, he witnessed the death of his best friend, a man whom he'd considered his older brother. When he was thirteen, he was forced to kill nearly everyone he loved, even his parents and his beloved. Then he worked as a spy for nearly ten years, doing things that went completely against his nature. Any normal person would've either been crushed by that pain, or else they would've snapped and gone completely off the rails. Itachi wasn't like that though. He had the strength to endure his pain, and the reason he had that strength... was because he loved you. You were precious to him. All the pain, all the hardship, was worth it to him, if he could only protect you. When you have something or someone precious to protect, that is when you can become truly strong. Don't try to shut love out of your life, Sasuke-kun. Doing so will not make you strong. You could have enough power to rule the world... but it will mean nothing if you do not have love."

"Tch." Sasuke said with annoyance, "How would you know anything about this?"

"Because I saw it in your brother, Sasuke-kun. Year after year, I watched him suffer... and I watched him endure."

"Hmph." Sasuke replied, looking away from Amai. She sighed, able to tell that he didn't believe her, but... He was her younger brother, and the only family she had, aside from the child she was carrying. She placed a hand on her stomach thoughtfully, catching Sasuke's attention as she began to sing in a clear, sweet voice.

"You said if you could fly, you would fly far, far into the sky—so all you'd ever know is the blue, that blue sky up above... You've yet to learn what the pain from true sadness is like. You've only had but a taste, but you're a moth to the flame. When all my feelings reach you, they'll no longer be mute. For on that day, they'll live in spoken words. From in a dream, when you awake—into the world—you no longer know, if you could only spread your wings and fly away... You said if you could fly, you would fly far, far into the sky—and you would set your aim—on the clouds all around that endless sky—the moment you break free, you'll finally find, find all you seek. And it's all waiting there—in that blue, in that blue sky up above—in that blue, in that blue sky up above—in that blue, in that blue sky up above... With a sound like a storm turning bitter and dark, that window shut in your heart, it shatters, falling apart. So at last you escape from your cold, broken cage, so break away without ever looking back. There is a chase—inside my chest—where my heart beats—quick as my breath, and so I kick the window in and fly away! You said if you could fly, you'd fly and nothing would stop you. You're tempted by that voice—that's so far, it's so far from where you are. I'll take your eager hand—and take you far, far away with me, so you can see my world. It's that blue, it's that blue sky up above... Hey, it's okay to fail. Yeah, it's okay to fall. What really counts, what only counts, is if you pull yourself back up. You said if you could fly, you would fly far, far into the sky—and you would set your aim—on the clouds all around that endless sky. The moment you break free—you'll finally find, find all you seek. And it's all waiting there, in that blue, in that blue sky up above. In that blue, in that blue sky up above. In that blue, in that blue sky up above..."

Amai didn't seem to notice whether or not Sasuke was paying attention to her, but when she had finished, he stared at her with a carefully blank expression, which she also paid no attention to.

"...What was that?" The teenager finally asked when he could no longer stand questioning whether she had been directing that at him or just singing to herself.

Amai looked up at him and smiled weakly, "It's a song I used to sing to my younger sister. It conveys the hopes that I had for her future... really, I think it's what every older sibling wants for their younger sibling. It also conveys what Itachi felt for you, Sasuke-kun. He wanted so much for you to have a bright and happy future, the kind that he was never able to have." She looked up at the sky, "That is what I wish for you too. I know you don't know me, but, well, I no longer have a little sister to carry such wishes for, so I'll hold them for you in your brother's stead, and also..." She looked down at her stomach as she stroked it lightly, "For my own child."

"You're a very strange woman..." Sasuke replied for lack of other words as their food was delivered and he picked up his chopsticks.

"Perhaps." Amai admitted as she picked up her own, "But I suppose that is how I survived in the Village of Howling Wolves."

甘い

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Sasuke asked as he was about to leave. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn't help but be a bit worried for the young, pregnant widow.

"I'll be fine." Amai said with a nod, "As I said, Kina-chan doesn't know it, but I do know a little ninjutsu. Also, I have a kodachi hidden in my kimono that my husband gave to me as a gift, so that I could protect myself even after he was gone."

"You knew that your husband was going to die?" Sasuke asked incredulously, and Amai nodded.

"Espionage missions are very dangerous and very difficult, especially when they are long-term." She explained, "As time goes on, it becomes more and more difficult for a shinobi to remember who his true allies are and who his enemies are. My husband had told me that there were times when he wasn't sure whose spy he even was. Knowing the nature of his mission... well... it was only a matter of time."

"Why would you marry somebody, knowing that his days were numbered?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

Amai laughed lightly at this before she smiled at him, "You might as well ask that of every woman married to a shinobi, or of every man married to a kunoichi." She remarked, "Shinobi never know when they're going to die." She smiled wryly and shook her head, "But trying to control your heart is even more painful. For me, it was better to love him for a short time than to try and stifle the emotions I felt every time I saw him. Our marriage was short and I am saddened by his passing, but... I don't regret it. The life that we shared, the love that we had... I could never regret those things." She turned her face toward the sky, "I was once told that the loss of love can turn the world upside down, and while I believe that to be true... I think it is more in our hands than we realize. The person who told me that... and I don't recall who, because it was a long time ago... was talking about the loss of loved ones, but that's not quite what it means to lose love. When we lose somebody we love, our love does not die with them. It continues to live in our hearts, as long as we allow it to do so." The dark-haired woman turned back to Sasuke with a soft smile, "I don't know what you will do from here on out, Sasuke-kun, but as for me, I will not allow the love that we shared to be lost. It lives in my heart..." She placed her hand upon her stomach again, "And it lives in this child."

* * *

The song that Amai was singing is Amalee's English Cover of Blue Bird, which she gives permission to anyone to use as long as they credit her. :) I feel like it conveys Itachi's feelings about Sasuke pretty well.


	8. Forget-Me-Nots and Baby's Breath

After parting ways with a bewildered Uchiha Sasuke, Amai began making the journey to Yugakure. A ninja probably could've made it in a few days, but Amai was not a ninja, and she wasn't willing to overexert herself in light of the child she was carrying. As she had told Sasuke, she stopped to stay at an inn every night, which extended her journey quite a bit, since sometimes she would have to stop when there was still plenty of daylight left in order to avoid being out after dark.

About eight weeks later, Amai found herself walking through the Land of Honey. Cutting through the Land of Wind likely would've been faster, but she really did not want to try to traverse one of the Great Shinobi Nations... especially not one that was mostly desert. After all, if it somehow became known that she was carrying the child of Uchiha Itachi, who knew what would happen? She was debating whether to cut across the Land of Fire or go around it as well, but that decision seemed to be a long way off. She stopped for a moment and cradled her swollen belly. She had just entered her second trimester, meaning that her chances of miscarriage were lower than before, but... While she was relieved that the child was obviously still growing, was she supposed to be this big already? It wasn't as if she looked ready to give birth or anything, but her ankles were already beginning to swell and her bladder was already feeling the pressure, not to mention that her back was complaining from the constant walking. She knew that some women grew more than others, but she hadn't thought she would grow this much.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of horse hooves and she looked behind her to see a rider approaching. She stepped to the side of the road to let him pass and couldn't help but feel confused when he stopped to talk to her.

"Good day to you, madam." The rider said politely, "Do you live around here? I don't think I've seen you before."

"No, I'm traveling at the moment." The young woman answered him. She figured her obvious condition had led him to assume that she was married and didn't bother to correct him, since he wasn't completely wrong.

"Without your husband?" The man asked in concern, eyeing Amai's belly and looking slightly alarmed.

"Actually, I'm a widow." Amai explained, "I'm on my way to stay with a friend of my late husband's."

"Well unless that friend lives near here, I would suggest you find a place to hunker down for the time being." The man advised.

"Why?" Amai asked him.

"The Five Great Shinobi Nations are uniting to go to war against Uchiha Madara." The man explained, "It's gonna be dangerous for a while, especially in your condition. No telling how long this war will last. I was just on my way to the next village to let everyone know."

"I see..." Amai said thoughtfully, "How far is it to the next village? Could I make it there by sunset?"

"On foot? Not likely." The man answered honestly, "But you could ride there with me."

"Thank you, but... I don't think I could take all that bumping around." Amai said politely, "I'll manage on my own, somehow."

"If you're sure... Have a good day, Miss." The rider said before spurring his horse on. Amai sighed. He hadn't seemed like a bad person, but... Itachi had told her not to accept such offers from strangers, especially men, while traveling. All the same, she hadn't been lying when she said that she would've been uncomfortable. She would just have to either make good time, or... well, to be honest, she wasn't sure what other option there was.

After walking for a while longer, she came across a farmhouse. Two young boys were playing in the yard while a woman—presumably their mother—was weeding a nearby vegetable garden. Amai recalled Itachi's telling her that places with women and children were more likely to be safe, so she approached the woman.

"Excuse me." Amai called from near the fence of the vegetable patch. The woman looked up at Amai. Amai guessed that she was maybe fifteen or so years older than her, perhaps even twenty. Leaving herself and Itachi aside, the survivors of the past war tended to wait longer to marry and have children.

"Yes, may I help you?" The woman asked, offering a kind smile beneath her stray hairs and dirt-stained cheeks.

"Um, have you heard of the impending war? Between Uchiha Madara and the Five Great Nations?" Amai asked timidly.

The woman nodded before shaking her head in disbelief. "Yes. A rider informed us a little while ago when he passed through here. Honestly, I can't believe it... Uchiha Madara? And why now?" The woman sighed, "Honestly, I was hoping that my children would never have to see war like I did."

"I know what you mean." Amai said with a nod. "War is a terrible thing. And to happen now, of all times..." She looked down at her swollen belly.

The woman frowned at this, "Pardon me for asking, but where is your husband?"

"Gone..." Amai replied sadly, "My husband was a shinobi who died in action shortly after I conceived. He never even knew..."

"You poor dear... is that why you are traveling alone?"

"Yes. My husband and I had an agreement that if I were to become pregnant, I would go to a friend of his in Yugakure, who is a skilled obstetrician. Honestly, I think he was hoping to be able to escort me himself, but..." The brunette sighed, "I've been cautious, traveling slowly, but I'm already at sixteen weeks, and with the impending war..."

"You need a place to stay?" The woman guessed.

"If it's not too much trouble." Amai confirmed with a shy smile, "I'll do whatever I can to help out. I don't know anything about farming, but I'm quite skilled with domestic chores."

"I'll speak to my husband, but it shouldn't be a problem." The woman replied as she stood up, "A woman in your condition shouldn't be traveling alone to start with, and with an impending war... it would be simply cruel to turn you away."

"Thank you very much." Amai said with a nod, since bowing was becoming difficult. "My name is Amai."

"I'm Miria and these are my sons. The older one Ringo and the younger one is Jagaimo, or Jaga for short. My husband's name is Rino."

甘い

Amai stayed with Miria and her family for the next month, feeling as though her stomach were growing with each passing day. Miria was kind enough to provide the young widow with clothes more suited to accommodating pregnancy, things that she herself no longer had use for. As she had promised, Amai helped the other woman with various household chores, although Miria was forever coddling the expectant mother. At least, that's how Amai felt. Rino was kind and accommodating to her as well, but was usually only inside the house before dawn or after dark.

甘い

Itachi sat on the steps of an old temple with Nagato. Being under Edotensei was definitely not something he was thrilled about, but for the moment, he was stuck. It seemed that the person controlling them was trying to keep them off of the battlefield for the moment, since they had been forced to stop for the night. They could move around a little. Their movements weren't being completely controlled at the moment, but for now, they were just talking when the mood struck one of them.

While replying to something that Nagato had asked him, Itachi noticed a nearby patch of wildflowers. The flowers instantly made him think of Amai, so he walked over to pick some.

"Why the sudden interest in those flowers?" Nagato asked. At the moment, he could hardly move without Itachi's help.

"They remind me of somebody."

Nagato smiled knowingly. "Oh, I see." He made no further comment, not wanting to give their controller any information that could be dangerous, but he knew Itachi was referring to Amai. He could understand, since he himself had also loved someone.

甘い

"Really, Amai, you don't need to get up with the rooster everyday to make breakfast." Miria chided the next morning, "You're going to have a baby soon, and I can promise you that sleep will be hard to come by after that."

"Even if you tell me that, I can't help it, Miria-san." Amai admitted, "Until recently, I'd been running a cafe for nearly ten years. I'm so used to getting up with the sun that it's just automatic."

Miria sighed, "Can't you just settle for making the tea?" She eyed Amai's belly, "Honestly, you look like you could give birth next week. Are you sure you're only five months along?"

"That was what the doctor told me." Amai said with a nod as she poured some tea, "Besides, I'm fairly certain about when I conceived."

Miria sighed as she took the tray with the tea from Amai, "I guess it's just because you're so slender. You've got such a small frame that it's no wonder the baby is taking over!"

Amai laughed slightly, then winced as she felt the baby kick her.

When breakfast was over, Amai looked out the window and smiled fondly at the sight of three-year-old Jaga trailing at the heels of his eight-year-old brother.

"Why does watching my boys make you so happy?" Miria asked with a smile, "Give you a feeling of anticipation?"

"A little." Amai replied while placing a hand on her stomach absentmindedly, "But in truth, they remind me of my little sister and I, or of the stories my husband told me about him and his younger brother."

"Your husband had a brother?" Miria asked in genuine surprise, "Is he still alive?"

"As far as I know, but... they became estranged when their parents died, so I... I haven't reached out to him. Besides, he's probably caught up in the war by now."

"Ah yes, you did mention that your husband was originally from one of the Five Great Nations, didn't you? We're lucky that the Land of Honey is so far removed from the battlefield."

"Yes, we are." Amai said softly, her expression becoming a bit sad, "Perhaps I'll reach out to my brother-in-law someday when this is all over, if he is still alive." She turned and headed for the door to go outside, Miria following her with a basket.

"Right then." Miria said as they approached the clothesline, "You take the clothes off the wire, and I'll fold them and put them in the basket." She instructed, as if they hadn't already done this a hundred times. Miria was quite determined not to let Amai bend over for the sake of doing anything, so this was the most the younger woman could help with the laundry.

Amai laughed at Miria's constant need to remind her and nodded.

甘い

Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the world, Itachi was making his way forward to find Yakushi Kabuto with the intention of forcing the man to undo the Edotensei jutsu that had been used to artificially revive him. It was sheer luck that the summoning crow containing his friend Shisui's eye—which he had implanted inside of Uzumaki Naruto—had burst out of the Jinchuuriki and inadvertently freed him from Kabuto's control by placing him under a genjutsu that compelled him to do that which he wished to do anyway: protect the Hidden Leaf. It was supposed to cast the genjutsu on Sasuke, not him, but there was no changing it now. It was probably for the best if Sasuke returned to the Leaf because he truly wanted to anyway. He had always been manipulating his younger brother, if only for Sasuke's own sake, but perhaps it was time to let the younger Uchiha choose his own path.

His goal clearly in mind, his thoughts drifted to Amai. The last time he had seen her, she'd been weeping silently as he left to go meet his end. She hadn't tried to stop him. She had accepted the situation, accepted his decision, accepted _him_. Though she was physically weak, she was truly the strongest person he had ever known.

Still... he couldn't help but wonder, was she doing well? Deep down, he wished that he could check on her... to see her one last time... but that might just cause her more pain, and besides, whether he liked it or not, he didn't have time. The Land of Medicine was quite far from his current location, and that was assuming that she was even still there. In the middle of a war, there was just no time to be spared in visiting his beloved wife.

Suddenly, Itachi remembered the flowers he had picked at the shrine. Visiting Amai was not an option, but...

甘い

Amai was standing in the fields, gazing up at the sky and wondering what was happening within the world of the shinobi that was so foreign to her. The cry of a raven broke through her thoughts, and she turned, looking over her shoulder and eyes widening in surprise as the night-colored bird flew down to her, hovering in front of her and cawing again. Itachi had used ravens such as these... Her gaze drifted to what the raven was holding in its talons... a bundle of wild forget-me-nots. Her eyes widened and she gently reached forward, taking the bouquet from the raven. Her eyes softened and filled with tears as she gazed at the flowers. She didn't know how, but she knew they were from Itachi. Though it was impossible for her to know how he could've sent them now, after all these months, the message was quite clear.

_"I love you. Please don't ever forget me."_

Amai bit back her sob as tears streamed down her face, falling onto the bright blue petals of the flowers and sparkling in the sun.

**They're beautiful, those tears that you are crying**

**They've even watered the forget-me-nots**

Amai saw that the crow was about to leave and called out to it. "Wait!" The crow turned and looked back at her. Amai looked around frantically for a moment, then smiled in delight before leaning down and picking a single sprig of the surrounding wildflowers.

甘い

Itachi kept moving, feeling that he was growing closer to his destination when he heard the cry of a crow. He turned and saw that the raven he had sent to Amai had come back, and it was carrying something. Itachi felt slightly confused as he took the item from the bird, his eyes widening as he realized what it was.

It was a single sprig of wild baby's breath. Baby's breath could mean a variety of things. Undying love—his own flowers had asked her not to forget him—innocence—how many times had he called her naive?—reconnecting with lost love—he'd reached out to her first, and she had recognized it—but perhaps, most importantly, children. There was no way Amai could've given birth in the short time he'd been gone without him having known she was pregnant beforehand, but... did she intend that meaning as well? That she was with child? _His_ child? The one she had so desperately longed for? He had no way to confirm it, but he hoped it was true. He smiled softly to himself.

"Thank you, Amai."

* * *

Okay, so the map that I'm using as reference for all of this is this: lady1venus/art/Naruto-world-map-Beta-731997975In Naruto Jinraiden, the Land of Medicine, where Howling Wolf Village is, somehow overlaps with where the Five Kage Summit was held in the Land of Iron—Naruto Continuity issues as their best here—So I'm not sure _exactly_ where it should be on this map, but the point is that it is really far from Yugakure, and the fastest route would've been through the Land of Earth, which Amai chose to avoid. And yes, the forget-me-not thing does tie into the purveying theme of Sayonara Moon Town. Since I usually keep my chapters at around 2,000 words, this is taking much longer than originally planned, but I'm fine with that. I was originally worried that this story was going to be too short.

EDIT 02/04/20: I realized that Itachi stopping mid-mission to pick flowers for Amai was a bit OOC, so I changed it to when he and Nagato were stuck waiting at a temple. He always intended on sending the flowers to Amai if he somehow got the chance to do so, but briefly forgot about it. Also, I realized after rereading Naruto Jiraiden, that the Land of Medicine is actually pretty far south, due to being warm enough to have insects all year round. But it's confusing because the mountain range there has the same name as the one in the Land of Iron, so... I have no idea. Like I said, Naruto Continuity issues at their best here.


	9. The Size of the Blood Moon

"Amai, we're going to the Harvest Moon Festival in town tonight. Do you want to join us?" Miria asked at lunch later that day.

"There's going to be mochi and sweet potatoes!" Three-year-old Jagaima exclaimed in excitement.

Amai smiled sadly, "Thank you, but I think I'll stay here."

"Is everything all right?" Rino asked.

"Yes, but... the full moon reminds me of my husband." Amai admitted, "So I'm afraid I don't feel much like celebrating. But don't worry, I'll be all right. You guys have fun and don't worry about me."

"If you insist..." Miria replied.

甘い

Amai saw Miria and her family off later that evening, about an hour before sunset. She went back into the house by herself and ate a quiet supper that Miria had prepared for her. Honestly, although she enjoyed their family and was grateful for their hospitality, she was also glad for a bit of peace and quiet. The hustle and bustle of a house with children was something she hadn't experienced in a long time. She placed a hand on her stomach at that thought. "I suppose I should enjoy these little moments while they last." She frowned at the thought that when her own child came, she would be on her own, without someone to aid her in the trials of child-rearing, but then sighed and shook her head. "I can't keep moping like this."

She headed outside and walked into the open space between the house and the barn, staring up at the moon and frowning slightly. She had known the moon would be full, and that the harvest moon was always larger than average, but it seemed even bigger than normal, and it was blood red. She couldn't help but wonder if that had something to do with the war that was taking place somewhere else in the world. Without really thinking about it, a song began to drift from her lips, "The moon of this night is for some mysterious reason one size bigger—And it shines brighter than it usually does." She thought of Itachi and the many times he would make his way home to her on moonlit nights like this one, his heart often heavy, but comforted by the knowledge that she'd be there to welcome him. "Curling up your back, you'd trudge down the road that would lead you to your home—No matter what, your supporter would be there." Itachi had always refused to cry, no matter what burdens he was carrying, but he had never once belittled Amai for the times that she would cling to him, bury her face in his chest, and just sob, and she remembered what he'd told her once. "It is okay to cry without saying anything—If all your tears dry up, it will be the end." She thought of how he wasn't here for her to rely on anymore, and strengthened her resolve. "More than I am now, I have to get much stronger—Sadness is the first step to standing on my own!" She slowly sat down, placing a hand on her belly in thought. "If I am hurt countless times, will I ultimately forget pain?" Taking in the red color of the moon, she thought of the things Itachi had been forced to do, "If you shed crimson blood, you would remember the thing that is most important!" She laid back in the grass, spreading out her limbs in an attempt to get comfortable. "Collapsing on the road in a spread-eagle—I look up at the sky and believe..." She remembered Sasuke, who had lost his entire family, including Itachi. What he had shared with his former comrades could not fill that void. That was why he was like a mere shell of his former self now and was doing crazy things. "That true loneliness is a person whose past is gone. A person who just knows the present." Her attention returned to the moon and she attempted to guess the size it had been the night before with her hand, "The moon of yesterday, exactly what kind of dimensions did it have? I make the shape by using the palm of my hand." She thought over the entirety of her life, both the past and the future, and the child within her belly. "From that day that I was born until that day that I go to the next world—There surely will be things that I'll overlook." As the wind blew through the trees and the leaves drifted by, Amai thought of the members of the Hidden Leaf that Itachi had spent his life protecting from the shadows, and now they were fighting for their lives on a battlefield somewhere, "Your comrades, I do not have them here alongside me. They're living in another place, somewhere else!" Wincing at a kick from the baby, she rubbed her stomach and thought of how there were surely those who knew the truth about Itachi and would support her on that basis alone. "However, if, just if, something should happen, then—It seems that they'd always come running to help me."

She looked back up at the blood moon. She truly hated war, just as Itachi had. Why was this happening? Why was he gone? Why was her family gone? Why had the two of them suffered as they had? "If I am hurt countless times, will the moon finally start waning?" She felt another kick and thought of the future that awaited her, "If the daybreak is near, then your ordeals will also silently vanish." She stood up carefully, brushing the dirt off of her dress before straightening her posture, "Brushing off dirt and getting back to my feet—I'll straighten up and hold my head high."

Looking back up at the moon, Amai's eyes widened and her frown deepened. Something akin to the Sharingan had appeared on its surface. That could not be good in any way, shape, or form. Without really worrying about the "how", she instantly questioned _why_ anybody would do something like that, and only one thought came to her mind: to cast an extremely wide-scale genjutsu. It was the only purpose that she could even begin to see for such a thing, and it filled her with the immediate need to escape, to hide. But where exactly? She turned toward the house slightly and her eyes fell upon the doors leading to the cellar. Among other things, the cellar served the purpose of protecting the family from tornadoes. If it could keep out gale-force winds, it should be able to block out light! She moved toward the cellar as quickly as she could manage. Honestly, why was she so big at only five months? Despite that, she somehow manage to open the doors, lower herself inside, and close them behind her. She gripped the wall until she found the small torch that sat there and used a tiny fireball to light it. She had never been able to master even the most basic Fire Jutsu that Itachi had shown her, but it still worked for things like this. She walked farther into the cellar and used the torch to light a lamp that hung in the middle of the room before extinguishing the first object. She sighed with relief, feeling that she had somehow just managed to escape something awful. Suddenly she heard something behind her, as if the ground were shifting or stretching and quickly turned around, cautiously gripping the hilt of the tanto that Itachi had given to her. Her eyes widened in utter confusion and her body tensed as a few white creatures that looked vaguely human pulled themselves up out of the ground.

"What do you know?" One of them remarked, "It seems like Itachi's wife is just as sharp as he was. To have managed to hide herself when she doesn't even know what's going on."

"Wh-who are you?" Amai managed nervously. She and Itachi had told almost nobody about their marriage, and she was fairly certain that even Uchiha Madara hadn't known the true depth of their relationship.

"We are called White Zetsu." One of the creatures answered, "Put down that sword. If you try to use it, the most likely scenario is that harm will come to your child."

"It will be troublesome to try and drag her outside into the light." The third said, "Let's show her whose progeny she is really carrying first."

Amai coughed as something was blown into her face and she passed out.

甘い

Ootsutsuki Indra was overseeing the training of his followers when he felt something—or rather, someone—spontaneously appear nearby. Frowning, he headed toward the edge of the settlement to investigate.

"Indra?" His wife, Haruka called in confusion. She probably hadn't sensed what he had.

"I'll be back momentarily." He told her, leaving her somewhat bewildered. Haruka didn't bother to question him, however. He often kept her in the dark about certain things, and she accepted that fact.

It didn't take long for Indra to find the person that he had sensed, but his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Lying in the middle of the field, flat on her back, was a heavily pregnant young woman. Maybe the same age that Haruka had been when they first met or so. She appeared to be unconscious, but the far bigger question was who was she, why was she here, and where the heck was her husband?

"Hey. Wake up."

Amai groaned and opened her eyes to find a man, maybe ten years older than her or so, leaning over her. His features were somehow soft and delicate, reminding her vaguely of Sasuke, but the wild brown hair flowing down his back made it very clear to her that this man was not her brother-in-law. He didn't even quite look like an Uchiha, and frankly, she would've been shocked if he had. Judging by his appearance, however, he did appear to be some kind of noble. She pushed that out of her mind, groaning again as she tried to sit up, which the stranger helped her to do. "Where am I?" She asked.

"You don't know?" He asked with a quizzical expression.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking." Amai remarked in slight annoyance, mostly due to the pounding headache she had. "The last thing I remember, it was night, and I was in a cellar, but now it is very much not night and this is very much not a cellar." She glanced around, her expression becoming further confused, "In fact, this doesn't appear to be anywhere near the farm. The terrain looks wrong too. Am I still in the Land of Honey?"

"The Land of Honey?" He asked incredulously, "That's at least two days away. This is the Land of Fire."

"The Land of Fire?!" She exclaimed in shock, "How in the world did I get here?!" Her expression panicked, she turned and looked at her waist, her face growing fearful.

"Are you looking for this?" The man asked while holding up her tanto, scabbard and all, "I wasn't willing to take the chance that you would try to attack upon waking. There's nothing you could do to me, but you would be endangering yourself, and..." Without bothering to finish his thought, his eyes drifted to her stomach to imply his meaning.

Amai sighed slightly in relief, although she was still frightened. "I understand, but please return it to me now. That sword was a gift from my husband."

"And where exactly _is_ your husband?" The man demanded to know.

Amai sighed quietly, "I... I'm a widow, actually. My husband died shortly after I conceived."

"I see." The man replied while looking down at the tanto with an appraising look, "Was your husband of noble birth?"

"What? No, why do you ask?" Amai asked in confusion.

"It's very rare for somebody who is not of noble birth to have a family crest." He stated, indicating the Uchiha Crest that was encrusted upon the scabbard with fine stones.

Amai's expression became confused, but she finally managed, "Well... he wasn't a noble, but... his clan _was_ considered very prestigious at one time."

"And his clan was?"

"If you don't recognize that crest, then I doubt that you have heard of it." Amai answered before holding out her hand, "Now please, my lord, may I have that back?"

He slowly returned it to her, "You said that the last you recall, it was night, and you were in a cellar. Based on your surprise at being outside, I'm guessing you were there of your own volition, so now my question is, why were you in a cellar to start with?"

She sighed. This man just would not give up. "I was hiding."

"From?"

"The moon."

"The moon?" He looked at her skeptically, and she sighed again.

"Yes, it... it looked strange. It was a blood moon to start with, but... then something appeared on it... something that looked like the Sharingan..."

Suddenly the man's eyes flashed dangerously and he glared at Amai, "How do you know about the Sharingan?"

"Huh?" Amai asked in confusion, "What do you mean? I'm pretty sure that basically anyone who has ever lived in a ninja village is taught to know what the Sharingan looks like."

"A ninja village?" He was clearly suspicious now, but Amai's confusion only grew.

"Yes. Surely you know what a ninja village is? There's a very large and famous one near here: Konohagakure."

"There is no place by that name anywhere in the Land of Fire."

"Huh?" She asked in confusion, her expression bordering on panic now, "But that's impossible! ...Unless..." She looked thoughtful, like she was trying to make sense of what was happening, "A space-time jutsu...?"

The man grabbed her shoulders roughly, "What do you know about jutsu?!" He demanded.

"Aah! My lord, please!" Amai shrieked in fright.

"Answer me!"

Amai quivered in fear as she witnessed the Sharingan surfacing in the man's eyes, but she tried her best to answer him. "I learned about it from my husband."

"And where did he learn it?"

"From... from his parents, I think..."

"What was your husband's name?" Amai bit her lip in fear, terrified of how he would react to the answer. "Answer me!" He demanded again.

"U-Uchiha... Itachi..."

His grip on her shoulders loosened a bit as he looked at her in contemplation, "Did you say... Uchiha?" Amai nodded fearfully.

Indra's head spun as he tried to make sense of what this woman was saying. Uchiha was the name of his oldest child. If she was telling the truth, that would imply that her husband was somehow his descendant. He scanned the young woman's face for any signs of deceit, but there was none. She looked like a frightened doe, and prior to that she had been genuinely confused and had answered him with pure innocence. Whoever she was, she clearly was not a spy. "What were you saying about space-time jutsu?" He asked her.

Amai tried to regain her train of thought, "U-Um... my husband told me that there are some jutsu that allow one to move through space, or even time. Summoning jutsu are like that. You use your own chakra to teleport an animal from its natural habitat to your location, although that only works if you have a contract with it... There is... —was... will be?— Also a member of the Uchiha who can teleport to a separate dimension and back, using a special form of the Sharingan."

"The Mangekyou Sharingan." He said flatly, and she nodded, still fearful.

"R-Right... He also told me about a forbidden jutsu of the Uchiha that could be use to turn back time by a few seconds in order to alter reality."

"Forbidden?" At this, he looked quizzical.

"Sometimes, jutsu are forbidden because they pose too great a risk to the user, or because they are considered unethical." She explained. "A-Anyway... he said that with enough chakra, it was probably possible to even travel through time, although one would need great skill and enormous chakra reserves to pull that off."

"Come to think of it... my grandmother was able to move through dimensions..." He said thoughtfully. "So I take it, from what you are saying, that you believe you have traveled through time? More specifically, you think that you came here from the future, which is why you know of things that do not currently exist."

She nodded, her mouth dry from the fright, "That... would be the most... plausible explanation... Because... you have the Sharingan, and yet, you have never heard of the Uchiha, which probably means..."

"That I am your husband's ancestor." He answered before his eyes drifted to her stomach, "And your child's too, I presume."

"Y-Yes..."

He sighed, looking a bit irritated before eyeing her tanto again. "You seemed nervous before, regarding this crest on your scabbard."

"The Uchiha... do not have the greatest reputation in my time." She explained reluctantly, "They are powerful, but... greatly feared. If someone were to learn of whose wife I was..."

"You and your child would be in danger."

"Yes."

He sighed again, "There is no sense in staying here. I don't know how to return you to your own time, but you can't just go wandering about in your condition. Come with me. My wife can look after you." When he held out his hand to help her to her feet, she hesitantly took it.

"Forgive me, my lord, but you have not told me your name. My own name is Uchiha Amai."

"I am called Ōtsutsuki Indra."

Indra led Amai back to his home, where he explained the situation to Haruka, who instantly began to fuss over the expecting mother.

"I promise, I'm fine." Amai insisted, "I'm not due for another four months."

"You look like you're due now..." Haruka remarked while placing her hand on Amai's stomach, "But you're right. You can't be due yet. The baby is still too high."

"Haruka is the most talented medic in the sect." Indra remarked, a note of affectionate pride in his voice before returning to the matter at hand, "So why exactly were you hiding in a cellar when you saw a Sharingan appear on a moon?"

"Well it wasn't _exactly_ a Sharingan..." Amai replied, "It looked a little bit different... It... Do you have something I can draw with?" Haruka handed the younger woman an ink brush, ink well, and a piece of parchment, and Amai carefully drew the pattern she had seen, "It looked like this." She explained while handing the parchment to Indra, who frowned in contemplation.

"This looks like the Rinnegan of my grandmother, Kaguya..."

"I don't think I've heard of somebody by that name, except... maybe the goddess spoken of in an obscure legend." Amai replied slowly, "But then, my own time is far removed from this one... I think... I can't be sure... but I think it may have had something to do with the plan formed by my husband's great-grandfather... Although I really don't know. The world was involved in a war at that time, but... the Land of Honey was far removed from the fighting, so I don't know much about what was going on."

"But if it was your husband's great-grandfather... didn't you have contact with your in-laws?" Haruka asked in confusion.

"The only surviving members of my husband's family are his great-grandfather and his younger brother, neither of whom know about me, or at least, do not know of my relation to them." Amai explained.

"...What was your reason for hiding from the moon when you saw this?" Indra asked, more curious than concerned.

"Well... the only reason I could think of for somebody to do something like that... would be to cast an extremely wide-scale genjutsu. I mean... it wasn't any kind of Mangekyou Sharingan, and even if it were, what else would it do? I can't think of a single reason to cause the whole world to burst into black flames."

"You are intimately familiar with the Sharingan..." Indra remarked.

"My husband was extremely talented." She said simply, "The point being, whatever was going on, I didn't want to be caught in it, but the only place I could think of to hide was underground."

Indra nodded slowly, "I can see why he chose you. While you are obviously not powerful, you are at least intelligent."

Amai laughed softly, "I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it at all. He and I were very similar. We both loved our younger siblings more than anything in the world."

At this, Indra frowned, "Your younger siblings?"

"Yes. I once had a younger sister who was very sickly, but she was incredibly precious to me. My husband might very well have destroyed the world if doing so would somehow protect his younger brother." She laughed softly, "My husband was a genius; his power was legendary. One day he said to me, 'People mistake me for being patient, but I'm actually very competitive and a sore loser. Even so, if I were to lose to my brother, I think I would be happy.'"

Indra's frown deepened, "What on earth would cause your husband to think about it like that?"

Amai looked confused, "I suppose just the desire to see his brother grow strong. Itachi-kun was willing to give up everything... his happiness, his own future, for his little brother's sake."

Indra scoffed and muttered, "Foolish..."

"Huh?"

Indra looked at her, his eyes tainted with annoyance, "I was once just like your husband. I had a little brother that I cared for greatly, and do you know what became of that? He betrayed me and stole my birthright. I was more powerful and more talented than my brother, and yet somehow, our father still favored him, and chose him to be his successor."

Now Amai frowned as well, "My lord, are you saying that you hate your younger brother?"

"I do."

The dark-haired woman stood up, glaring at Indra while trembling with clenched fists, "Then don't _ever_ say that you were like my husband, or like me! If you've come to hate your younger brother, with whom you share blood, then you never understood what it means to be an older sibling in the first place! You can't be Itachi-kun's ancestor, because Itachi-kun was nothing like you!" She closed her eyes, beginning to sob, "It can't be... It can't be..."

"Wake up daughter! Wake up!"

Amai gasped and opened her eyes to see an older man who looked not entirely human leaning over her, his face filled with concern. Taking in his appearance, she tried to bolt upright in fear, but he gently held her down to prevent her from hurting herself. "It's all right my dear. You're all right. It was all simply a dream." Amai sat up slowly, tears streaming down her face. She realized that she was still in the cellar, took in the remains of the creatures that had attacked her, and then looked at the man.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked nervously.

"I am Ootsutsuki Hagoromo, also known as the Sage of Six Paths." He told her as his expression saddened, "I was the father of Indra."

"Indra..." Amai looked away, tears still lining her eyes as she placed a hand on her stomach, "That man... Is he really...?"

"Yes. The ancestor of your late husband." Hagoromo informed her, "But there's something that you must understand, child. Indra did not come to hate his brother Ashura on his own. He was being influenced by a creature created by my mother Kaguya. For centuries, that creature has been manipulating the descendants of Indra in order to release my mother from the moon in which my brother Hamura and I sealed her."

"Creature..." Amai replied softly, her expression thoughtful, "...Do you mean Zetsu? Itachi-kun was always suspicious of him..."

"Your husband was far more perceptive than most." Hagoromo said with a nod, "What you just saw was not real." He told her, "It was a genjutsu cast upon you by the Shirozetsu, in an attempt to fill you with enough fear and despair that you would enter the light of the moon of your own accord."

"But why?" Amai asked.

"What you saw on the moon was the start of something called the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which Kurozetsu deceived Madara into casting on the world in order to free my mother. Breaking the seal requires massive amounts of chakra, and all of those who are caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi are bound to the roots of the Divine Tree so that their chakra can be extracted for that purpose. I came here to protect you from that, as it could place you and your child in danger." The Sage explained, "Although it helped that you had hidden on your own to start with. You are quite wise, daughter."

**The harvest moon of sorrow is starting to**

**Steal everything away**

Amai was quiet, uncertain of what to say. "Will my child become like him...?" She finally managed to ask.

"That will depend mostly on you." Hagoromo answered, "Do not hold back your love for your child, Amai. Teach him or her about your husband's deep love." His expression filled with regret, "I failed to protect Indra from the dark forces that targeted him, and what you saw was the result. Do not allow yourself to repeat my mistake."

"How can I protect this child?" Amai asked fearfully, "I can't even protect myself!"

"You are physically weak, that is true." Hagoromo said with a nod, "But you are also incredibly strong. True strength comes from within the heart. Itachi believed that as well, and it was something he admired in you."

At this, she looked surprised. "Itachi-kun...?"

"My dear..." Hagoromo began with a chuckle, "You should know better than anyone that Itachi lacked the capacity to express his true feelings. Well, at least with words."

"That's true..." She replied with a bittersweet smile, "Leaving the how aside, why did you come here? Why go so far to protect me?"

"Because within your body, you carry the future of your husband's family." Hagoromo replied, "No matter what anyone may say or believe, it is a future worth protecting. If you believe in Itachi, then believe in that."

Tears filled Amai's eyes, but she smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah."

Hagoromo looked up at the ceiling, "The light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi has faded. It is safe for you to go back outside now. I am afraid that I have other matters that I must attend to. You will have to look after yourself for the moment, my dear. It may be a day or two yet before your hosts return home."

Amai looked confused at that, but nodded. After Hagoromo disappeared, she exited the cellar, but stopped. Somehow, she was still afraid of what the future might bring, after seeing how Indra had been. Feeling a breeze blow past her, she thought for sure that she could hear Itachi's voice.

"Whenever tough experiences have occurred—Then you should quietly close your eyelids and—The enlarged moon of tonight, only think of that. I will illuminate your hesitating steps."

Feeling a little bit stronger, Amai smiled and walked out into the light, sitting down in the grass again as she looked up at the moon. It was still red, but no longer looked like a Sharingan. Her thoughts drifted to Indra, and the person he turned into, "If you're telling yourself lies, you'll eventually lose yourself." She sang before thinking of what Hagoromo told her. This child was the path that she had wanted, the final gift from Itachi that she had longed for. She would not lose sight of that! "Even if the moon is covered by clouds, proceed down the road that you are believing in!" The pain the Shirozetsu had brought her by showing her who Indra had been. Last she had heard, Sasuke was also on a war path against Konoha, the place his brother had loved. Somehow, she knew a battle for the very fate of the world was taking place right now. What was going to become of them all? "If I am hurt countless times, will I ultimately forget pain? If you shed crimson blood, you will remember the thing that is most important!" She carefully flopped onto her back, spreading out her limbs and staring up at the sky, "Collapsing on the road in a spread-eagle—I look up at the sky and believe..." She thought of what Hagoromo had said about her, what Itachi had felt about her, and smiled softly, "That true strength lies in a person who dreams of the future. A person who believes in love."

**And so, farewell**

**And so, farewell**

**So overcome all those farewells**

**Ah...**

* * *

Whew! Okay! Long chapter. For whatever reason, I really wanted Amai to sing my translation of Size of the Moon from the final season of Shippūden, so I had to extend the length of the chapter to fit the whole thing. Text in bold is back to the theme of this story, Sayonara Moon Town. But just because the song is finished doesn't mean that the story is! Also, Hagoromo refers to Amai as "daughter" because she is the widow of his descendant, and the mother of the next generation.

Also, there is a reason why the genjutsu is written partially from Indra's point-of-view. Road to Ninja and its companion episode, Road to Sakura, imply that the people within genjutsu actually exist and have their own reactions to things. So while this Indra is merely a copy of the real Indra, he is also "real" himself in a sense.

Oh yes, I almost forgot the cultural notes. The battle against Kaguya takes place on a Japanese holiday known as Juugoya, which celebrates the harvest moon. The moon tends to be near its perigee at this time of year, so it often looks larger than normal. Japanese people celebrate Juugoya by holding moon viewing parties, eating fall foods like purple sweet potatoes, and also eating mochi, or rice cakes, which are associated with the moon. The reason that they associate mochi with the moon is that they believe the surface looks like two rabbits making mochi. This is also why Kaguya looks the way she does and is referred to as the "rabbit goddess". She is named after Kaguya, the princess of the moon in a Japanese fairytale. The story, more often referred to as The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter, is well known in Japan and heavily referenced in a variety of anime. Naruto and Sailor Moon are two of the shows that most heavily reference the story without really being based upon it per se.


	10. Epilogue: Light of the Fireflies

"You wanted to see us, Kakashi-sensei?" Haruno Sakura asked as she entered the Hokage's office with her friends, Yamanaka Ino and Hyūga Hinata.

"Yes, I have a mission for the three of you." Hatake Kakashi replied, "It should only be a C-Rank, but, well, there's a chance that things will get... complicated."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"We received a request from a woman in the Land of Honey. Apparently, she's a pregnant widow from the Land of Medicine who originally left her village when she was eight weeks along to go to Yugakure, but when word of the impending war reached the Land of Honey eight weeks later, she ended up staying at a small farm to wait it out. Now that the war is over, she wants to finish her journey, but at this point, she's too far along in her pregnancy to travel alone. So she has requested an escort from Konoha."

"Now I see what you mean by complicated." Sakura said, "Normally, a team of Genin could handle this, but if she's heavily pregnant, then the escort needs to include at least one iryouninja."

"Exactly." Kakashi said with a nod, "Sakura, you're one of the top three iryouninja in the village, Hinata, you can check on her condition with the Byakugan and Ino at least knows Mystic Palm, plus, you're all women, so I decided you were the best fit for this."

"You said that this _should _be a C-Rank, which implies that the rank could change." Ino remarked, "Any particular reason for that?"

"The message containing the request was delivered in a rather strange manner." Kakashi admitted, "It came by crow."

"Crow?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Who uses a _crow_ to send a message?!" Ino exclaimed.

"Exactly." Kakashi stated, "The only person I know of that uses crows as a summons—at least among those currently alive—is Naruto's friend, Aiko, who was the apprentice of Uchiha Itachi. However, we just saw Aiko and she was definitely _not_ pregnant, has never been married, has never even been to the Land of Medicine as far as I know, and even if she did fit those, I happen to know that she also uses falcons as a summons, which are far superior for sending messages than crows are."

"Did the client mention who her late husband was?" Sakura asked.

"No." Kakashi replied, "But she did at least mention that her husband was a shinobi. If he had any enemies, moreover, enemies that knew about her, then there is a chance of shinobi attacking. She must not have thought that that risk was very high though, since she originally tried to make this trip alone."

"Um, why is she going to Yugakure in the first place?" Hinata asked, "Did the message say?"

"She said that she was traveling there because a friend of her late husband's was a skilled obstetrician." Kakashi informed her.

"Wait a minute..." said Ino slowly, "Wasn't Mayonaka Shinjiro, the doctor from Yugakure that temporarily ran the hospital in Sakura's place and apparently treated Uchiha Itachi's illness, also an obstetrician?"

"And the place where Itachi-san would go to get medicine for his condition was in the Land of Medicine..." Sakura added.

"I see you're starting to catch on." Kakashi said with a nod.

"Eh?!" Sakura exclaimed, "You don't think that's really possible, do you?!"

"Sakura..." Kakashi began slowly, "Up until right before the war, I—along with nearly everyone else—thought that the man was a traitor to the Hidden Leaf. Who's to say that any other conceptions we had about him were accurate?" He leaned back in his chair, "Nonetheless, don't try to pry her about it. Even if our suspicions are correct, she would probably be reluctant to confirm it. I'm pretty sure as it is that she _doesn't _want anybody to know who her late husband was. Her request was so heavily encrypted that I had to send it to the Cipher Corps since I no longer have the Sharingan."

Sakura sweat-dropped.

甘い

Two days later, the three teenagers arrived at the farm and Sakura walked up to the middle-aged woman who was sweeping the porch of the farmhouse. "Excuse me. We're kunoichi from Konohagakure. We're here about the request for an escort."

"Oh! Of course!" The woman answered with a smile as she set her broom down. "I'll go get Amai-chan for you and send one of my boys to have my husband hitch up the wagon." She headed into the house and returned a few minutes later with a heavily pregnant young woman, probably about five years older than the trio of kunoichi. Sakura sweat-dropped at the sight of the young woman's very swollen belly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Amai." The young woman said, carefully grasping a pillar on the porch for support.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and this is Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata." Sakura replied, "Um, pardon me for asking, but... when is your due date?"

"Oh, I'm not due until February." The young woman assured her, "Although I'm sure it looks otherwise. It certainly _feels_ otherwise, but then, this is my first, and probably my only..."

"No..." Hinata said, the veins on her forehead visible as she concentrated on Amai's stomach, "It won't be your only, because that would mean there was only one."

"Huh?" Ino said in surprise, "What are you saying, Hinata?"

"Amai-san is pregnant with twins." Hinata explained, "A boy and a girl from what I can see."

"Do there appear to be any problems?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not an expert of course, but no, it looks like everything is all right." The Hyuga girl replied, "Their flow of chakra is stable and the umbilical cords do not appear to be in danger of entangling either baby. If their positions relative to one another remain roughly the same, then the boy will probably be born first."

Sakura sighed with relief while Amai placed a hand on her stomach with a bittersweet smile and tears lining her eyes, "Twins... he gave me twins..."

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked. Amai sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"No. It's just that... these children were my husband's last gift to me. They are like a part of him that will always be with me. I'm so happy to know that there are two. My husband and I both had siblings that we loved dearly. To know that I'm having two children fills me with great joy. I just wish... that he could've known."

Sakura nodded in understanding. She had never had any siblings, but she could see why somebody who had had siblings that she was close to would want her children to have that as well.

"This is also explains why I've been getting kicked in the ribs and the bladder at the same time." Amai added with an amused smile, and the three girls grinned, happy to see that their client was in good spirits under the circumstances.

"Amai-chan, you sit here on the porch swing. I'm going to go help Rino prepare the wagon." Miria said to her guest.

"Oh... okay." Amai said before slowly sitting down. Miria gestured to the three girls to follow her as she headed to meet her husband, who was leading a horse hitched to a wagon toward the house.

"Please be patient with Amai-chan." The older woman began as they walked, "She's very pleasant for the most part, but she _is_ pregnant. Carrying twins has made her very uncomfortable, to say nothing of her hormones, and, well... most women have a husband to see to their needs while they are with child. Somebody that they can send out at two a.m. to satisfy a random craving or otherwise look after them. Amai's husband died shortly after she conceived. He never even knew of her pregnancy, never mind being there to take care of her. Despite this, she almost never complains about anything. She's a sweet, kind, hardworking girl. I mean, goodness, she traveled all the way here from the Land of Medicine by herself just after she found out, and even after she began staying here, she's been nothing but helpful. If anything, she complains that I coddle her about the pregnancy, but I can see how uncomfortable she is. I just don't know where she finds that strength to endure... to constantly smile whilst hiding her tears."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"According to Amai, the night she conceived was the very last night that she spent with her husband." Miria explained, "She never saw him again after that. She's due in three months, which means it's scarcely been half a year since his death. She's still grieving that loss. As I said, she never complains, but there are times when she begins to mourn his absence. She's happy about the babies, but she wishes that he were here with her, not just for moral support, but to share in her happiness. Apparently, they tried for nearly two years to have a child, but the night that she conceived, it was probably the last thing on either of their minds."

"She knew that her husband was going to die?" Ino asked in confusion.

"Apparently, he was very ill, and had been the entire course of their relationship. Amai married him whilst knowing that he was not long for this world. So, yes. The morning that she said goodbye to him, she knew that he was never going to come back."

"I think it's very brave to be able to love someone when you know he won't be able to stay with you very long." Hinata said with a hint of admiration.

"I agree, but it's still very difficult for her right now." Miria said, "Because of that, please look after her and see to whatever needs she may have. She may complain you are coddling her, but... she needs to be comfortable."

"We understand." Sakura said with a nod, "We'll keep a close eye on her wellbeing."

"Welp, here we are Amai." Rino said as he pulled the wagon up to the house.

"I've placed some bedding in the back here for you, dear." Miria added.

"Thank you, but... are you sure it's okay for me to be taking Meiberi-chan and the wagon?" Amai asked as she carefully stood up.

"Don't worry about it." Rino said, "Meiberi's getting a bit too old to be plowing fields, but she'll be a good companion to you. And I've got Ringo helping me build a new wagon. He's old enough now to learn this stuff."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Do you have to go away, Amai-neechan?" Jagaimo asked with tears in his eyes, "We like having you here."

Amai smiled down at where the toddler stood with his older brother. "And I've enjoyed staying here, but I need to do what is best for my babies. They need to be in a place where there's a good doctor to look after them. And I need to be with people who knew my husband."

"I'll go get your things..." Ringo said slowly, and Amai nodded to him before carefully plodding over to Sakura with a wrapped sword in her hand.

"Here. Please put this in the back with us."

"What is it?" Sakura asked in confusion as she took the dagger that had been carefully wrapped, scabbard, hilt, and all, in leather.

"My husband gave that tanto to me as a gift." Amai explained, "For self-defense. But I can't use it in my current condition, so I've just wrapped it up to protect it from the elements. It's very precious to me."

Sakura nodded in understanding and placed the sword near the back of the wagon. A moment later, Ringo came out carrying Amai's traveling bag, followed by his mother with a sack full of clothes.

"Here you go." Miria said as she placed the sack in the wagon, "These ought to see you through to the end of your pregnancy. At least I hope. I was never pregnant with twins."

"Is this all you have, Amai-san?" Ino asked as she accepted the other bag from Ringo.

"I packed what I wanted to bring with me into sealing scrolls to save space." Amai explained.

"You know ninjutsu?" Sakura said in surprise. Amai smiled with a bittersweet expression.

"Only a little. My husband taught me what he could. I can't really do Taijutsu or Kenjutsu right now, but in a pinch, I can use Suiton and Raiton and defend against genjutsu to a point." She explained. Sakura nodded.

"Well, let's get you into this wagon." With surprising ease, the pink haired kunoichi picked up the young widow, climbed into the back of the wagon, and set her down on the futon that Miria had placed there. Amai pouted in annoyance.

"It's not fair that you can move more easily while carrying me than I can move on my own." Sakura laughed nervously and sat down as Ino and Hinata climbed in the front and Ino took the reins.

_'Itachi-kun...' _Amai thought as she stared up at the sky above them. _'I'm finally on my way again... but I still wish that you were here with me. From now on, I have to make my heart stronger, in order to protect our children and raise them with love, as I promised your ancestor.'_

**Sha-la-la, certainly someday**

**I will manage to do it with my hands**

**In the emptiness inside my chest **

**Soft light, you must begin burning!**

Amai fell asleep for a little while. When she woke up, she noticed the distant look on Sakura's face and smiled softly. "Are you missing your loved one, Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura said in surprise, having not noticed that Amai was awake. She quickly tried to recover, "Wh-What do you mean?"

Amai smiled knowingly. "I know that look. You were thinking about the one that you love, wondering where he is right now, and if he is thinking of you, the way that you're thinking of him."

"Huh?!" Sakura exclaimed, her face turning bright red. Ino grinned.

"I'd say you hit the nail on the head with that one." The blonde remarked.

"H-How did you know?" Sakura asked softly.

Amai shook her head, "I often caught myself wearing that exact same expression when my husband was away from home, which to be honest, was more often than not. His work as a shinobi meant that he couldn't come home to me very often, and whenever he was gone, I would find myself longing for his presence."

Sakura looked down, still blushing lightly, "I'm afraid it's a bit different with me. I don't even know if he's going to come home, or whether or not he returns my feelings for him. The last time we saw each other, on the day he left, I asked to come with him, but he said he had to go alone. Then he poked my forehead and said 'maybe next time' before walking off."

Amai looked intrigued, "Is the one that you love Uchiha Sasuke by any chance?"

"Eh? How did you know?" The pink-haired teenager asked.

Amai sighed, closing her eyes in amusement, "His brother often came by my store when he was in the Land of Medicine. I've only met Sasuke-kun once, but, I can tell you for certain that he does return your feelings."

"How can you say that for certain?" Ino asked, looking over her shoulder at the pair of them.

"Itachi used to tell me stories about when he and Sasuke-kun were children." Amai explained, "Whenever Sasuke-kun would start pestering him about something that he didn't have time to do right then, Itachi would poke his forehead that exact same way and tell him, 'Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time.' For Sasuke-kun, the combination of that gesture and phrase is extremely intimate. Uchiha men are absolutely terrible at expressing their feelings, so I'm certain that that was Sasuke-kun's way of saying 'I love you.'"

Sakura's blush deepened again, "Do you really think so?"

"I know so." Amai said as her gaze drifted back toward the sky and her eyes filled with tears as she thought of Itachi again. _'That's right. You were also terrible at expressing your feelings. Although I knew that you loved me, I didn't know why. I wish you were still here. I should've asked you more questions about the present instead of always asking about the past.'_

**I end up with the "urge" to see you **

**My "pure heart" ends up wanting to cry**

**Having plunged into summer's fire**

**The fireflies will not return**

She thought of how Sasuke had said goodbye to Sakura, and then of how she and Itachi had said goodbye. Granted, Sasuke wasn't heading out to meet his end, but Itachi hadn't even been able to say anything at all. He had simply kissed her, and she had merely nodded, their hearts bursting with all the things they didn't have time to say and all the feelings they didn't have time to express.

**You didn't say even one word to me, leaving me behind with just a kiss**

**As I was scarred by the burn, I was simply nodding**

**The sad limit placed upon the length of your life was flickering**

"Hinata, can you get the fire going?" Sakura asked when they stopped to make camp for the night. With suitable bedding for Amai in the wagon, there was no need to worry about finding an inn unless it looked like the weather would be bad, but as it was, the sky was clear and Hinata hadn't seen any clouds that would indicate an incoming storm within 20 kilometers of them.

"I could do it if you need me to." Amai said from where she was sitting on the edge of the wagon.

Sakura blinked, "You know Katon?" She asked in surprise.

"A little." Amai replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, "I'm not really that good at it. The most I can do is a small fireball. My husband said something about my chakra reserves being too small, due to my being a civilian."

"That's true." Sakura said thoughtfully, "Katon requires a lot of chakra. Even most genin don't have enough. But you probably shouldn't." She added with a shake of her head, "With your condition and low chakra reserves, I don't want you to place any strain on yourself. Hinata shouldn't have any problems with this."

Amai nodded and watched as Hinata lit the campfire and began cooking a meal for the four of them.

"So, Hinata-chan, Ino-chan... I'm sorry if it seems like I am prying, but... do either of you have someone you love?" Amai asked.

Hinata gasped in surprise and nearly burned herself as her face turned bright red. Ino grinned and playfully elbowed her. "You've been in love with Naruto since forever, haven't you?"

Hinata nodded shyly, "Yes, but... I don't think he feels the same way about me."

"Are you kidding?" Sakura asked, "When you were injured by Pain, Naruto was so angry that his seal nearly broke! In fact, I've _never_ seen him lose it _that _badly."

"Mm." Amai said with a nod, "It certainly sounds like he has feelings for you. Men can become completely different people when the person they love is threatened. Once, a man in my village tried to take advantage of me while my husband was away. Fortunately, my husband came home just in time, but he was so angry that he killed the man with a genjutsu."

"...That must've been some genjutsu..." Ino managed in shock.

"Well, my husband was a genjutsu-type. If you know what you're doing, it can apparently be a very effective method for killing people, and it can also be extremely merciful or completely lacking in mercy." Amai said, "I was under genjutsu myself at the time, so, I don't really know what happened, but I'm guessing whatever he did was far from merciful. He was a fire-type too, and I'm pretty sure the only reason that he _didn't_ set that man on fire was because we were in my house."

"So both you and your husband were fire-types?" Sakura asked.

"Actually, I'm a water-type." Amai replied, "I'm not actually sure which I have a stronger affinity for, but Suiton requires far less chakra than Katon or Raiton. My husband could use Suiton as well, along with Fuuton, but his affinity was Fire. I learned to use Raiton during my shinobi training as a child."

"You trained as a Shinobi?" Ino asked in surprise.

"Yes, but... my village demilitarized just after I completed my training, so I never went on any missions." Amai explained.

Sakura nodded to her. _'The Uchiha Clan mostly specialized in Katon and Raiton from what I know. Those were Indra's specialties. Then again, I don't actually know what Itachi could use besides Katon and genjutsu.'_

"My point is, even without knowing him, I think that Sakura's assessment is correct." Amai continued, "I'm certain that Naruto-kun has feelings for you. Perhaps he just doesn't realize it yet."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"In my experience, people often fall in love without noticing. Then one day, it's like something clicks in their head and they suddenly realize it." Amai said, "I think that's how it was for my husband. He didn't know, or perhaps he didn't want to acknowledge it, but then one day, he just found that he could no longer deny it."

"I'm not sure I get what you're saying..." Ino said in confusion.

"Mm... well, in my husband's case, he had loved somebody in the past and had lost her. In fact, I think he realized his feelings for her when it was already too late. For that reason, he didn't _want_ to fall in love with me, but there came a point when he realized that if he didn't acknowledge it, he would lose me as well." Amai glanced up at the night sky, "And I think for those who have never experienced love for themselves, the feelings are more difficult to recognize. My husband and I both understood the love of a family as children, and we were able to connect those feelings with what we felt for one another. That feeling that somebody is precious to us, that we don't want lose them. But I would imagine it would be harder for a child who has grown up without those things."

"I'm certain that's true." Sakura said with a nod, "Naruto didn't really form a deep bond with anybody until he was twelve. Granted, that's partly because he's incredibly unobservant and thus, never noticed that Hinata was _constantly_ watching him from a distance when we were kids, but because of that, I don't think he's able to separate liking somebody from loving them."

"Was I really that obvious?" Hinata asked with a blush.

"To anybody else, yes." Ino remarked, "But Naruto has got to be the most clueless sensory type on the planet."

"Clueless or not, don't you dare give up, Hinata." Sakura encouraged, "After all, _you_ were the one who brought Naruto back to his senses when Neji died, and when he got back to his feet, we all saw him holding your hand."

"Yeah, and you didn't even faint!" Ino joked, causing Hinata to turn bright red again.

Amai laughed softly, "Just give it time, Hinata-chan. You and Naruto-kun are still young. There's no need to rush. Still, from what I've heard, I think you two have a deep bond that will withstand the test of time. Certainly someday, both of your dreams will come true; someday, Naruto-kun will finally realize his feelings for you, and eventually, he'll become a wonderful Hokage."

"Huh? How did you know about...? How can you say...?" Hinata asked, wondering how Amai knew of Naruto's dream, or how he would be a good Hokage.

Amai smiled softly, looking at the embers that floated up from the fire and then disappeared, a nostalgic look on her face. "My husband was from Konoha. He told me about how he met Naruto-kun once when they were both children. Even then, at that time, my beloved felt that Naruto-kun would surely become a wonderful Hokage someday, and my husband was always a good judge of character." She smiled softly before gazing back up at the moon in the sky. That was right. At the age of twelve, all of Amai's previous dreams had been stolen from her. She had felt helpless and trapped. Then Itachi had walked into her life. The first day he protected her from Jiryuu, it had given her hope that there were still good people in the world. That first night that she took care of him and the morning after, a new dream formed in her heart, and she had the courage to pursue it with all her might, however little strength she might've had. That dream had come true, and she was still living it. Itachi was gone, but in his place, within her body, he had given her two children to love in his stead. This—no, _they—_were her dream, and she would continue to protect them. She looked at the sky and wondered, could Itachi also see the brilliant half-moon that seemed to be shining on this future?

**Sha-la-la, certainly someday **

**I will manage to do it with my hands**

**In the emptiness inside my chest **

**Soft light, you must begin burning!**

**Sha-la-la, my dear beloved one**

**Are you able to see it like I can**

**The dazzling moon that is softly **

**Illuminating tomorrow?**

**It's strongly, it's strongly shining brightly!**

A few days later, the four young women had stopped in a village to eat, due to Amai's desperate craving for udon soup. "I'm honestly impressed, Amai-san." Sakura said, "Even after losing your husband, you still seem so strong."

"It doesn't necessarily make the grief any weaker, but... since I knew about his condition and what would happen eventually, It's not as if I suffered from a major shock when it did." Amai said quietly. "Besides, I've already been through enough hardships in my lifetime to weather this kind of storm."

"Hardships?" Hinata questioned.

Amai was about to shake her head to say that she didn't want to talk about it, but her gaze was abruptly drawn by the sight of two parents walking with their children, the younger one trailing eagerly after the elder. She suddenly dropped her soup spoon. "Amai-san?" Sakura questioned, her eyes widening as tears began to flow down Amai's cheeks. The sight had suddenly reminded her of the days before her parents' addiction, followed by her sister's death, and the anger that had led to her parents' demise; memories that she often tried to bury, and the expectant mother covered her mouth with her hand as she immediately began to sob.

**The extent to which gales are blowing**

**Against me is making my heart fierce**

**"Just get lost!", all those kind of memories**

**Softly alight in my mind again**

"Is she all right, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked with concern as Sakura carefully laid the now sleeping Amai upon the futon in an inn.

"She's fine." Sakura assured the other girl as she carefully drew the blanket up to Amai's shoulders. "It was probably just a fit of hormones. It's not unusual for an expectant mother to start crying over the smallest things."

"She seemed really upset though..." Ino worried.

Sakura shrugged, "We can't force her to talk about it. Let's just keep moving. The sooner we get her to Yugakure, the better."

The other two kunoichi nodded and began laying out their own bedding.

甘い

_"It's okay to cry, Amai." Itachi said gently as he held his sobbing wife close._

_Amai clung to Itachi's cloak as she rested her head on his chest, "This coming from the man who refuses to cry for any reason."_

_"It's different..." Itachi said awkwardly._

_"In what way?" Amai half-asked, half-demanded._

_"I'm a Shinobi." Itachi answered, "I have to hide my emotions. You are not though. For you, it's okay to cry. You don't have to say anything. Just cry as much as you want."_

_Amai continued sobbing into Itachi's cloak as she clung to him. "It was my fault!" She wailed._

_"You know it wasn't." Itachi said gently, but firmly._

_"It was! I hated them, and look what that led to!"_

_"If you had hated them, you wouldn't be crying right now." Itachi assured her as he stroked her hair, "You were just angry, and you had every right to be. They failed in their duty as your parents. They didn't protect you. They didn't take care of Adzuki-chan. You had lost everything even before they died." He hugged her tightly, "You and I both know that when you threw the Sengenzai into the sea, it wasn't because you wanted them to die. Just the opposite. You wanted them to be your parents again. You wanted them back." Amai sniffled softly and Itachi slowly pulled away from her. "I have to go."_

_"Huh?" Amai looked up as Itachi stroked her hair a final time and then began walking away from her. "No... wait!" She cried out, reaching out desperately for him as she ran after him, "Itachi-kun! Don't leave me!"_

_Itachi stopped and slowly turned toward her, reaching his hand out to her with a gentle smile, "What are you talking about? I will never leave you."_

_Amai's eyes widened, "But you did... you died and left me alone..."_

_"No, Amai. I am always with you."_

**Within a dream, if I started running, my feelings could then be felt by you**

**As is my intention, you would stretch out your hand**

**The painful limit of your lifespan, it would then start flickering**

Amai gasped and woke up, covering her face with her hand before slowly sitting up and looking around. She realized that they were in an inn, and that Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were all asleep. It must've been too cold to camp out tonight.

Amai shivered to herself, clutching her hand to her chest. How many times had she had that dream? That dream where she ran after Itachi when he set out to meet his end, as she had wanted to in real life, and convinced him to stay with her. This time was different though. It was like Itachi had been trying to comfort her. "I am always with you." He had said. She placed a hand on her swollen stomach, feeling one of the twins kick her.

"That's true, but... I want you _here_ with me..." She said softly, thinking of Itachi and, for some reason, the constant cold and snow that she had heard winter brought north of the Land of Medicine. Taking a shaky breath, she began to sing softly. "Do you know I fell in love with you? I can't remember, how long has it been? All I know is this love within my heart, waiting for you. Can't you see what you mean to me? How I wish you could read my mind. All these feelings, I could never find the right words to explain. Like the snow, all my love—falling down from above. In time... it piles high—as if to touch the sky. Hold me tight. I wish I'd never known your light. This can't be right. This can't be how it's meant to feel. But I can't turn back time now, cause I love you. I only wish it wasn't true. I wish I could forget—wish that we'd never met—inside my heart I know eternal snow." She carefully stood up, moved over to the window and leaned her forehead against the glass, "Do you know you're still in my dreams? How much longer til you let me sleep? So I stay awake at the window pane, my breath fogging the glass. Can the snow in my heart—melt away with the pain? One day... I pray that it might—just take one candle's flame." She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to find comfort and warmth, "Hold me tight, until I break, I hope I might. Cause then the wind and cold can't reach me anymore. I only wanna feel nothing, cause I miss you—when every thought's a thought of you. And I stand here alone—cause tonight is the same—inside my heart I know eternal snow..." Looking out the window, she saw that it had begun snowing lightly. She carefully opened the window and reached out her hand to catch the flakes, "I wonder if the falling snow will numb my heart? And if with time, could hide these lonely nights—and all my love for you?" She sighed softly, her eyes drifting to where the moon was peeking through a break in the snow clouds, "Hold me tight. I wish I'd never known your light. This can't be right. This can't be how it's meant to feel, but I can't turn back time now, cause I love you, I only wish that it wasn't true. You can't be here and I—shout to the winter sky. Inside my heart I know eternal snow. Hold me tight... Oh, I miss you... I love you... And I stand here alone, cause tonight is the same, so fall forever, oh, eternal snow..."

Amai jumped slightly as she felt somebody place a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Sakura's concerned face and gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"

"It's all right." Sakura assured her, reaching past Amai to close the window. "I understand that it's hard for you. Just waiting for Sasuke-kun to come back to me, both figuratively and literally, for four years, was incredibly painful. I can't imagine the pain that you must be in right now." She added while guiding Amai back over to the futons and sitting down with her, "But Amai-san, while I may not have known your husband, I know that he wouldn't want you to be like this. Of course, some of it is hormones, but your grief is completely natural. Even so, he wouldn't want you to keep thinking on the past. He'd want you look forward to the future..." The pink-haired kunoichi said while reaching forward and placing a hand on Amai's stomach, "Isn't that right?"

Amai smiled softly, although her eyes were still lined with tears as she looked down at her belly. "Yes... that's right. He would wish for nothing but happiness for me and for them."

**Sha-la-la, I am starting to **

**Constantly sing without ever stopping**

**Inside my shivering chest, soft light, **

**I demand you start burning!**

Amai turned her eyes back toward the window and the moon shining amongst the clearing clouds, "Still, I wish that my feelings could reach him."

Sakura gently placed a hand on top of Amai's and smiled gently, "I'm sure that they do."

**Sha-la-la, my dear beloved one **

**I keep on hoping that I will reach you**

**In the empty, blue sky allow my **

**Feelings to softly grow stronger**

**Stronger and stronger and cause them to resound!**

It was about a week later when they reached Yugakure, the entire journey having taken nearly a month due to the slow pace they had to go at, even with the horse and wagon. When they reached the village in question, Amai nearly threw up from the strong smell of sulfur in the air.

"I guess it would be a shock to someone who's never been to a hot spring before." Sakura admitted, "And being pregnant doesn't help." Amai only whimpered in response as she rested against the front of the wagon.

"Hey, where does this friend of your husband's live anyway?" Ino asked, and Amai opened her eyes in surprise before letting out a sigh.

"Come to think of it, I don't know. I only know that he lives and works at a medical resort here, but I don't know the name of it or where it is." She admitted, "I guess we'll just have to ask around for it."

At that moment, a young man with dark blue hair came out of a nearby ryokan, his eyes immediately finding the wagon and locking onto Amai's dark brown hair. "Amai-han?"

"Huh?" Ino stopped the wagon and watched as the teenager, about the same age as her and her teammates, approached the side.

"Shinjiro-san!" Sakura said in surprise, recognizing the youth as the talented iryouninja from Yugakure who had temporarily assumed command of Konoha's hospital after the war, since Sakura herself had been too injured to manage it.

"Ah, Sakura-han!" Shinjiro acknowledged, "I thought I sensed your chakra. It's been a while." Sakura nodded and Shinjiro turned back to the travel-weary Amai. "You're Amai-han, correct?"

Amai looked genuinely surprised. "Yes, I am, but... Shinjiro-san, how did you know who I was? We've never met."

"Ah, your children." Shinjiro explained, not bothering to shift his gaze since he couldn't see Amai's stomach over the sides of the wagon, "I sensed their father's chakra within them, so I knew it had to be you."

"I guess that's true. There's nobody else who could be carrying them, is there?" Amai said with a nostalgic smile, "There was never any doubting his loyalty."

Shinjiro nodded, "All of you, come inside." He turned and looked at Sakura, "You and your comrades can stay the night here to refresh yourselves and return to Konoha in the morning."

"Yeah, thanks." Sakura said with a nod.

Shinjiro looked back at Amai, "Amai-han, it's not safe for you to use the hot springs in your condition, but I'll ask Oyu-chan to draw up a warm bath for you."

Amai smiled softly, her exhaustion obvious. "That sounds really nice..."

Sakura helped Amai out of the wagon and allowed Shinjiro to help the expectant mother to the door while Shinjiro's mentor, Mako, came out to help with Meiberi and the wagon.

"Oyu-chan, Miyu-han, this is Amai-han." Shinjiro said to Mako's wife and daughter as he and Amai stepped into the inn.

"Oh you poor dear!" Miyu exclaimed when her eyes fell upon the heavily pregnant young woman, "Have you been traveling in that condition?"

Amai smiled weakly, "Yes, but, it's not as bad as it looks. I'm actually not due for ten weeks. It's just that I'm carrying twins."

"Twins!" Miyu exclaimed, "Oh you must be so happy. He told us how much you wanted to have a child."

"Yes." Amai said with a nod before looking at Shinjiro, "Shinjiro-san, how are they? Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan have been keeping an eye on me, but, you might be able to tell more."

"Yes, I've already checked." Shinjiro said with a nod, "It doesn't look like there are any problems. They're developing as they should and the flow of their chakra is stable."

Amai sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."

甘い

The next day, Amai stood at the entrance of the ryokan to bid Sakura, Ino, and Hinata goodbye. "Thank you for getting me here safely." She told them with a warm smile, "And for putting up with my cravings and mood swings and constant bathroom breaks and waking you up in the middle of the night."

"Don't worry about it." Sakura said with a wave of her hand, "I'm just glad that we were able to help you so that you didn't have to hold back all of those things. Take care, okay?"

"I will." Amai said with a nod, "Good luck to all of you. I wish you nothing but happiness."

甘い

Amai delivered her twins on February 14th. Although there were no complications, her labor had been long and exhausting, and thus, after delivering the second one, she had promptly passed out. Hinata had been right though. She'd delivered her son first.

Sometime after she had given birth, Amai slowly came to, and Shinjiro smiled at her. "Congratulations, Amai-han. Both of your children were delivered safely and both appear to be perfectly healthy."

Amai smiled in relief, since she hadn't been able to recall that much. "Thank goodness..."

"Would you like to see them?" The young doctor asked.

"Yes please."

Shinjiro assisted Amai in sitting up in bed as Oyu and Miyu walked in, each carrying a swaddled baby in her arms. Carefully, the two women placed each baby into the crooks of their mother's waiting arms. Amai sniffled and smiled down at them. "They're so tiny."

"They're a little bit smaller than average, but that's not abnormal for twins." Shinjiro remarked, "Now that they don't have to compete for resources, it won't take them long to make up for that."

"Have you thought of what to name them?" Oyu asked curiously.

"Yes." Amai said with a nod, "I've been thinking about it since I left the Land of Honey." She nuzzled her son, "This is Dango..." She turned and nuzzled her daughter, "And this is Tamana."

"Two of Itachi-han's favorite foods." Shinjiro remarked with a nod, "Any particular reason besides that?"

"Yes." Amai said with a smile, "The first time that Itachi-kun came to my shop, a plate of dango was what he ordered. And the first time that I took care of him—the night that we learned of each other's pasts—I made us cabbage rolls for dinner. Those two things brought us together in a way, so that is what our children will be called." She smiled fondly at her children, "I have a feeling that they're both going to look just like their father."

甘い

The next few months passed in a blur for Amai. There was a period shortly after the twins' birth where she struggled with postpartum depression, which Shinjiro thought was caused by her grief regarding Itachi's death as much as it was hormones. That had culminated in her being in near hysterics on the anniversary of their final farewell before she slowly began to recover. When summer came the following month, Amai decided to take the twins out to see the fireflies that came out at night; fireflies had been a constant in her village, which was far enough south that the special Shogin Fireflies could be found all year round, but they had only recently begun to appear in Yugakure, which was much farther north.

"Today would've been your father's birthday." Amai said to her children as she held them in her lap. Neither Tamana nor Dango were able to sit up on their own yet, but they could do so with her support. Thus, Amai had brought them to a grassy meadow and was sitting on the ground with them. Dango made an inquiring noise in response to Amai's statement, not yet able to understand what she was saying, before he and his sister went back to watching the fireflies, their large black eyes lighting up in fascination at the sight of the twinkling, floating lights around them. The twins gurgled and cooed, occasionally reaching out with their little hands to try and grab one of the insects, only to fail. Amai smiled softly as she watched them. She had no doubt that they would become talented at catching fireflies when they were older. They would probably put them in jars with air-holes and then watch them until the bugs' lifespans reached their end.

Amai smiled softly and looked up at the shining full moon in the sky. _'Do you seem them, Itachi-kun? They are our future. I've finally reached a point where I'm no longer thinking about dreams that were lost or dreams that were unattainable to start with. Now my hopes and dreams live in them. These children that you gave me are my world. I love them, just as I love you, so don't ever forget about me, because I will certainly never forget you as long as I live.'_

**Sha-la-la, certainly someday**

**The fireflies will burn out and vanish**

**While they're vanishing from my heart**

**Those dreams are still softly shining**

**Sha-la-la, my dear beloved one**

**Please also never forget about me**

**In the glowing summertime I am **

**Softly repeating that one wish**

**Sha-la-la, certainly someday **

**I will manage to do it with my hands**

**In the emptiness inside my chest**

**Soft light, you must begin burning!**

**Sha-la-la, my dear beloved one**

**Are you able to see it like I can**

**The dazzling moon that is softly **

**Illuminating tomorrow?**

**It's strongly, it's strongly shining brightly!**

* * *

Oh my gosh, this chapter ended up so long! Also, I hadn't intended to use two songs, but since the one talks about the singer singing... Anyway, the song in bold is my own English Translation of Light of the Fireflies by Ikimono Gakari. The song that Amai sings is Amalee's English cover of Eternal Snow from Full Moon wo Sagashite, and again, Amalee allows use of her songs as long as credit is given.

Also, no, Amai doesn't truly wish that she had never met Itachi, because her life would've turned out very badly if she hadn't. What she does wish in that scene is to be free from the constant pain of her memories. Tamana and Dango will appear in later stories that I have planned. :)

And yeah, in typical Naruto canon-inconsistency issues, Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled, which I managed to find an English translation of online, states that the Land of Medicine and the Three Wolves Mountain Range is south of Konoha, enough so that fireflies can be found all year round and jasmine flowers even bloom in the autumn, but the actual manga and anime state that the Three Wolves are in the Land of Iron to the far north, where it is always cold. Some days I want to shoot Kushimoto for his inability to keep facts straight in this series.

Also, I am aware that there is a contradiction between what Amai tells Itachi about her training as a child and what she tells Sakura and the others. I plan to include an explanation of that at some point. I just couldn't find a good place to fit it into this particular story.


End file.
